


Cracked Ice

by Madkat123, Thalia Gray (Madkat123)



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, One-Sided Relationship, dark themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-05-23 20:33:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6129205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madkat123/pseuds/Madkat123, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madkat123/pseuds/Thalia%20Gray
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>10 years later, Pitch is back, and he wants revenge. With new nightmare sand and a new plan in mind, will his plot to get revenge work or will he be sent back into hiding? [Graphic Violence]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Sh, Baby Tooth, you'll give me away!" Baby Tooth rolled her eyes at Jack. It was 3 days before Christmas and North was a bit behind so the guardians decided to help him out. Of course, Jack Frost was the spirit of fun, so he had to mess things up just a little.

"Oh Baby Tooth, don't be like that. Here, just watch, it'll be fun. I promise." Baby Tooth shook her head in defeat. She knew things were going to end badly. Jack conjured up a snowball and took a moment to aim. With a smile on his face, Jack threw the snowball, hitting his target square in the face.

Phil fell backwards when the snowball hit him in the face, knocking him into the stack of baby dolls behind him. All 327 of them fell on him. Jack floated backwards, laughing. That little prank had gone better than he thought. He continued like that until he hit something, causing him to fall on his butt. Baby Tooth squeaked and flew into the pocket of Jack's hoodie. Jack looked up to see, a very upset, North. North picked him up by his hoodie and brought him to eye level.

"What are you doing, Jack?" Jack shrugged his shoulders playfully.

"Having a little fun. C'mon North, what's wrong with that?" North gave Jack a hard stare.

"'What's wrong with that?'" North mumbled, "Jack, its Christmas in 3 days!" Jack floated in the air around North.

"Exactly! It's Christmas! Everyone around here's so stressed. You guys need to cheer up! Have a little fun!" Jack made one of his special snowballs and threw it at North. A familiar blue mist circled North's eyes and he smiled. He patted Jack on the back, causing him to fall again.

"Ah, you are right, Jack. It's Christmas! Besides, with all of us I'm positive that we'll get everything finished in no time!" North threw his hands in the air, "Let's celebrate!" Jack laughed.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Jack followed North into the main room. Jack looked around, easily picking his new family from the crowd of yeti and elves. Tooth was painting Jewelry boxes, Bunny was arguing with a yeti that Easter was better than Christmas, and Sandy had fallen asleep building a toy race car. North stood next to the globe, the lights as bright as ever. His voice boomed throughout the workshop, everyone's heads turning to him.

"Everyone! Take a break my friends, it's Christmas! ...Except you yeti, you still have to work." All of the yeti groaned. Tooth flew up to North.

"You can't do that North, that's not fair!" North rolled his eyes.

"Ugh, fine. Yeti, you have break too." The yeti cheered, waking up Sandy in the progress. They played music, ate cookies, danced, talked, and even had a snowball fight, which Sandy ended up winning. Jack sat on an armchair that was in the corner of the workshop. He smiled to himself as he sipped his cup of hot cocoa that one of the yeti made for him. Jack sat back and watched as his family interacted with one another. A warm feeling enveloped him.

 _'This is so nice, if only it could last forever.'_ North clapped his hands.

"Alright everyone, this has been fun but breaks over. We need to-" North was cut off by a loud siren type noise. Everyone looked around.

"Aye mates," Bunny pointed at the globe, "look, it's for the Tooth Palace." Tooth gasped and started flying all around the workshop, panicking.

"Oh no. Not my babies again! What do we do? What is they're already gone?! What if-" Tooth was cut off by Bunny.

"Tooth!" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently, "it's gonna be okay mate, promise." Tooth nodded. North walked up and patted Tooth on the back.

"Bunny is right. Come, we take sleigh." Everyone followed North into the ice room where the sleigh was kept. This time Bunny didn't argue about taking his tunnels instead of the sleigh. From what happened last time something was wrong at the Tooth Palace, everyone wanted to hurry. Whether or not it was Pitch, they didn't know.

Bunny, Jack, Sandy, and Tooth piled into the sleigh behind North. He whipped the reigns, causing the sleigh to exit the mountain. As they flew into the air, North pulled out one of his snow globe portals. He whispered Tooth Palace into the glass and threw it, effectively opening a portal.

They flew through it; colors of blue, green, and pink washed over them. Jack watched as the colors disappeared and the tooth palace appeared. Jack looked around, it was quiet, too quiet. North landed the sleigh on one of the many platforms. Everyone pulled out their weapons and slowly got out of the sleigh, keeping their guard up the whole time. Jack walked a few steps farther than everyone, his staff pointing at an invisible enemy.

A dark chuckle filled the air; it was sinister and sent shivers down the guardians' spines. Before the guardians could find the source, a string of black sand wrapped around North, Bunny, Sand, and Tooth. They tried to escape, but quickly realized they couldn't move. Jack looked around and saw Pitch step out of the shadows.

"Pitch, what are you doing here? We've defeated you twice already, and we'll do it again." Pitch laughed again as he began to pace back and forth in front of the 4 restrained guardians. Taking a moment to answer North's question.

"I'm not here to place fear into the children's hearts, no, that'll have to wait. You know, 10 years trapped in a hole in the ground gives someone a long time to think. I _could_ come back and make you disappear by destroying the children's belief in you, but that would be too easy. I wanted you to suffer the way you made me!" Pitch stopped to take a deep breath, keeping his emotions in check.

"So I thought to myself, 'what would crush the guardians and make them suffer?' Then it came to me." Pitch turned and shot nightmare sand at Jack, knocking him to the floor and making him tumble as it wrapped around both of his wrists and ankles. Pitch turned back to the other guardians and smiled.

"Do you like my new sand? 10 years also gives you time to hone your skills. Not only does my sand turn dreams into nightmares, now it can paralyze anyone from the neck down, except for vital organs of course." Pitch walked over to Jack and looked at him. Jack just glared back.

"Oh Jack, not a neutral party anymore, are you?" Before Jack could retort, Pitch planted one of his feet on Jack's chest, effectively knocking the breath out of him. The other guardians cried out, threatening Pitch to leave Jack alone. Pitch just pushed down harder.

"If you had joined me, we could've won. We would've had the power. But no, you _had_ to take the guardians' side. If it wasn't for you, the _whole_ world would be cowering at my feet." Jack mentally groaned in pain when he heard a crack coming from his ribs. His chest began to burn from lack of oxygen and his –probably—broken ribs. Pitch lifted his foot off of Jack, and Jack took in a deep breath. Pitch didn't give Jack a moment to rest and grabbed a fistful of Jack's snow white hair. Jack hissed as his head was yanked upwards so that he could look at Pitch, face to face.

"North asked me why I was here, and I told him that I wanted all of you to suffer. I thought long and hard on what I could do, and then it hit me. The only way to make them truly suffer would be if something happened to you and all they could do was watch as it happened. Hopelessly watching as their youngest member suffered so, much, _agony_." Pitch slammed Jack's head into the stone floor of the platform. Jack heard yelling in the distance-probably the other guardians- as his head spun, stars dancing in his vision. Jack could feel something warm trickling down the back of his neck.

Pitch raised his head up again, just to slam it back down. Pitch repeated the action over and over, enough to crack the stone beneath them. Jack's vision blurred in and out, his breathing had long since become ragged, and his body felt as if on fire. Pitch finally stopped, stepping back to take in what he had done.

"Oh Jack, this look really suits you, except…" Pitch placed his index finger and thumb underneath his chin, as if in thought. He snapped his finger, "that's it!"

Pitch crawled on top of Jack, his hips resting at the boy's knees. The guardians watched with baited breath. They had long since stopped screaming at Pitch, knowing that it wouldn't change anything. Pitch pulled something out of his robe and everyone gasped, they would've been frozen if they weren't already. Pitch traced the object along the side of Jack's face, his eyes widening.

"Do you remember this, Jack? It's been quite useful in the past. I'm sure it would come in handy now, although, I'm sure it would be even better if I changed it a bit." Jack starred at the arrow in Pitch's hands. Of course he remembered it, he spent most of his days trying to forget it. To forget the way the arrow plunged into Sandy's back, turning him into nightmare sand. He was okay now, but Jack still couldn't forgive himself for what happened, if he had just gotten there faster.

It was then that Jack whimpered. He made himself a vow that he wouldn't let a sound pass his lips, he wasn't going to give Pitch the satisfaction. But he did. For once, Jack truly was scared. Pitch had morphed the arrow into a dagger using his nightmare sand, a dagger that Jack knew was just for him. Pitch grinned like a madman.

"Yes, Jack! That's perfect, let the fear roll off of you in waves. After all, it only makes me stronger." Pitch laughed, and all Jack could do was lay there and wait for the inevitable. Pitch finally composed himself and looked at Jack, smiling.

"Let's get started, shall we?"

~~~

Jack struggled to find anything, _anything_ to distract him from the pain. It was excruciating, and it was consuming him bit by bit. There were slashes all over his body; there were even one or two on his face. He held everything in, except for the whimper when Pitch pulled out the arrow. Jack knew Pitch was getting angry, and frankly, he didn't care anymore.

"Why won't you scream, Jack? Are you trying to stay strong for your guardians?" Pitch sighed, "I hoped I wouldn't have to do this so soon, but I want to hear you scream before I take my leave." Pitch climbed onto Jack again. Jack spat blood on Pitch's face.

"I'd like… to see… you try." Pitch smirked.

"Oh Jack, I'd be glad to." Before Jack could respond, Pitch drove the dagger into his side. Jack screamed. The other guardians called out to him.

"JACK!" They didn't see what Pitch did because his body was in the way, but the way Jack screamed, they knew something was very wrong.

It hurt. Everything hurt. It was painful for Jack to even breathe. Everything was on fire. Jack's body barely registered Pitch pulling the blade back out except for the tug on his body that came with it. He could feel darkness creeping up in the corners of his eyes. He was surprised he lasted this long, although, being immortal did have something to do with it. Pitch smiled and leaned down next to Jack's ear as he whispered; only wanting Jack to hear.

"That was very nice, Jack, music to my ears." Pitch waved his hand and nightmare sand formed a collar around Jack's neck.

"Do you like it? It's also some new sand I've created. It won't paralyze you, but it'll let me know where you are when I want to pay you another visit. Till next time." Pitch slipped back into the shadows after snapping his fingers, causing all of the nightmare sand to disappear except for the collar around Jack's neck.

 


	2. Chapter 2

The nightmare sand disappeared except for the collar around Jack’s neck. North, Sandy, and Tooth chased after Pitch, trying to catch him before he left while Bunny went to check on Jack. Bunny hopped over to the limp boy on the ground who was barely hanging on to consciousness. Bunny picked Jack up and cradled him, trying to relieve any pressure or pain that he could. Jack began to have a coughing a fit, coughing up blood as well. Bunny patted Jack’s back.

“Hang in there Frostbite, we’ll fix you right up in a minute, promise.” Bunny frowned as he looked at Jack’s wounds. There wasn’t an inch of Jack that wasn’t bruised or cut. Bunny looked at his—now ruined—clothes and saw a growing stain of blood. He gently raised Jack’s hoodie, trying to be gentle but still caused Jack to hiss in pain. Bunny’s eyes widened as he saw the stab wound on Jack’s side. He jumped up and ran over to the sleigh, although trying not to jostle Jack.

“There’s no time to look for Pitch, mates! If we don’t get him back to the pole soon, he’s not gonna make it!” The other guardians starred at Bunny and Jack, who were now in the sleigh and joined them quietly. They were all worried about Jack, so no words were spoken, everyone understood. Bunny looked down at the boy in his arms. Jack’s eyes were glazed over as he looked up at Bunny. He just wanted to go to sleep, hoping that when he went to sleep, he’d wake up and it would all be a dream. Jack’s eyes started to close. Bunny shook him gently.

“Oi, Frostbite, you gotta stay awake mate. You took a lot of blows to your head, and you can’t fall asleep. We’ll be there in a minute, we’re on our way now.” Jack nodded, trying his best to fight the exhaustion. He grabbed a fistful of Bunny’s fur in his hand as he closed his eyes, waiting for everything to stop. Bunny couldn’t help the anger that coursed through his veins; mainly directed towards Pitch, but also himself. He could’ve fought harder against Pitch’s sand, he could’ve ran faster, he could’ve done something.

North looked back at Jack while flying the sleigh. Bunny was right. He didn’t look like he was going to make it if they took too much longer. North took a snow globe out of his coat. He whispered North Pole into the globe and threw it in front of the sleigh. The magic portal opened and the sleigh passed through it, appearing at their destination. The sleigh jolted as North ran into the walls of ice and as he parked it. Jack winced every time. He was fighting a losing battle, and knew it.

“Bunny…” Bunny looked down, shocked that Jack was talking.

“Hush Frostbite, don’t talk-“

“No, bunny, I don’t thin- I don’t think I can last much longer… it hurts so much, I- I just wanna go to sleep…” Bunny stayed silent, not knowing how to respond. Bunny knew Jack wouldn’t be able to hold out forever, but hearing Jack say it himself made Bunny feel like there was a void in his chest. To see such a fun loving spirit so broken almost brought him to tears.

“I understand Jack, but please, just a little longer and you can. Just a little longer.” Jack’s eyes widened when Bunny said his actual name instead of Frostbite. Jack smiled slightly and nodded.

“Thanks Kangaroo.” Bunny smiled. The guardians hopped out of the sleigh, going as fast as they could to help Jack. North ordered some yeti to go and get their infirmary ready. The workshop had an infirmary because it was the safe house for the guardians and the yeti got injured on the job, especially Phil; no thanks to Jack. The yet did as they were told, grabbing supplies and getting a room ready.

The guardians rushed into the room the yeti had prepared, immediately getting to work. Everyone scrambled around; trying to find something to do that would help Jack in some way. Finally, North had had enough of the chaos.

“That’s enough! Now, everyone out except for you Phil, I need your help.” Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at north. Bunny stomped over to him and shook his finger at North.

“Oh no mate, we’re staying. We wanna help Jack.” North shook his head.

“No, you three will only get in the way. Only Bunny knows some medical treatment, so perhaps you can stay if you listen to everything I tell you. Tooth, I’m sorry, but you’ll be too upset and worried to focus and Sandy, no offense, but the slight trouble with communication will only make things more difficult. So Sandy, will you take Tooth and go?” Sandy nodded, grabbing Tooth’s hand and pulling her out of the room with him. North sighed and turned to Jack, who was just watching everything happen.

“Jack, we need to take off your shirt so that we can get to your wounds.” Jack didn’t respond, but North didn’t expect him to. Bunny helped hold Jack up while North took off his shirt. North and Bunny closed their eyes. Jack’s torso was littered with cuts and bruises, some worse than others. There was a large oval shaped blue and purple bruise over Jack’s chest, most likely from Pitch’s foot.

“So that’s why he screamed.” North looked at the stab wound on Jack’s side. There was a thin layer of frost over it, stopping a little of the bleeding, but not all of it.

“Blimey, didn’t know Frostbite could do that.” North shrugged as Bunny and he put on a pair of gloves. The last thing Jack needed was an infection. North asked Phil to get him a washcloth so he could wipe away the blood on Jack’s body.

“Bunny, you clean Jack while I get the stuff ready, we’ll have to get rid of some damaged tissue. Only worry about the stab wound right now, the rest can wait. Bunny nodded as Phil handed him the bowl of water that North requested. He took the cloth out of the warm water and twisted it, draining out most of the water.

“Sorry Frostbite, this might hurt a bit.” Jack nodded, silently telling Bunny it was okay and to go on. Bunny gently placed the cloth on Jack’s skin, starting at his navel. He worked his way to Jack’s right, getting closer and closer to the wound. He accidently pressed on one of Jack’s bruises, causing him to hiss in pain.

“Oh, sorry mate.” Bunny finished cleaning Jack, getting as much of the blood and stone pieces from the platform as he could. North walked over, holding surgery instruments in his hands.

“I’m sorry Jack. You realize that we can’t put you to sleep while we do this, but we can numb you for an hour or so.” Jack watched as Bunny placed some sort of gel over the wound. He was right, it did numb it. North put on a Doctor’s mask and went to work.

Now, what North didn’t mention, was that it would only numb it mostly, so Jack found himself in quite a bit of pain. Granted, it was 10 times less than it would have been without the gel, but it still hurt. North finished within 45 minutes, thankful for finishing before the numbness wore off. Bunny just sat next to Jack the whole time and tried to sooth him, knowing that his medicine wouldn’t completely block the pain. While North cleaned off his gloves, Bunny bandaged Jack’s side, carefully wrapping the cloth around Jack’s torso. North came back with a needle and special thread.

“Now, I have work on your head, but after that you can sleep.” Bunny placed gel on the large slash on the back of Jack’s head, close to his neck. North sat behind Jack and stitched the gash, having to cut some of Jack’s hair in the process. North finished quickly, laying Jack’s head back down on the bed gently. Bunny and North waited for Jack to fall asleep before taking care of the rest of his wounds. They didn’t rush through them this time. They gently took care of each cut and bruise, bandaging them once they were done. Silence fell between them, neither knowing what to say.

“I never believe Pitch could go so far.” Bunny looked up at North, having just finished the last cut. He started working on Jack’s ribs, which 2 were broken.

“What do you mean, mate?” North jus sighed and stood up, placing the leftover bandages and medicine on a cart.

“All of this; the children, the nightmares, Jack, everything!” North slammed his handed on the cart, jostling Jack slightly.

“Careful!”

“Oh, sorry Bunny. It’s just that… if Jack’s ice hadn’t done what it did, we probably would’ve lost him.

North walked over and sat in a chair next to Jack’s bed, being joined by Bunny after he finished.

“It was probably just a defensive mechanism too; Jack most likely didn’t even know he had done it.” Bunny looked at North.

“I know ya feel mate, but right now we have to focus on Jack.” North looked down at Jack. Even though he had been through so much, Jack was still only a child compared to the rest of them. It seemed that Jack’s pain didn’t reach him in sleep, he looked so peaceful. North nodded.

“Yes, you are right Bunny. Come, we tell others about Jack.” The two left the room, neither of them noticing the collar around Jack’s neck or the fact that nightmare sand was seeping off of it, and causing Jack nightmares.

~~~

The doors of the lounge opened. Sandy and Tooth looked up as Bunny and North walked in. The two sat down on the unused armchairs next to the fireplace. Sandy and Tooth looked at each other, none of them knowing what to say. Tooth decided to break the silence. She flew to North.

“How is he?” North sighed.

“He is in bad shape, but he will be okay. It’s just…” Bunny hopped over to the two, Sandy floating over as well. Bunny looked at North.

“Just what, mate?” North placed his hands on his stomach.

“I have bad feeling… in my belly..” The other 3 looked at once jolly man. Everyone felt uncomfortable in the tension filled room. A picture of a child appeared above Sandy’s head, as well as Pitch’s face. Tooth smiled, trying to raise everyone’s spirit.

“At least Pitch said he wasn’t going after the children! That’s good, right?” The three nodded, smiling slightly. Sandy even gave her a thumbs up. They decided that they weren’t going to let Pitch bring them down; it was Christmas in three days!

Everyone went back to the workshop, keeping themselves busy. North asked Bunny to check on Jack every few hours, making sure to change his bandages and such. North had just finished a toy helicopter when Bunny busted through the doors, causing everyone to look at him.

“We’ve got a problem mate.”

~~~

Pitch’s face was blank as he sat on his throne. Nightmare sand twirled through his fingers as he thought about his day. Phase one of his plane was complete, although he didn’t expect to stab him so soon. Now, Jack had a small amount of nightmare sand coursing through his body. He would startle easily, but since the dagger was only inside him for such a short time, that was all.

The collar however, was a different matter. He knew where all of his sand was, so he would always be able to find Jack. That was a benefit, but it wasn’t why he put it on Jack. That part, he kept to himself. Whenever Jack slept, the nightmare sand from the collar would cause him nightmares. Of course, Pitch planned ahead.

He knew that if anyone saw them, that Sandy would be alerted immediately. Pitch designed it so that if dream sand intervened, his nightmare sand would give it control for an hour or so to get the Sandman off guard, then take control once more when they’re weren’t paying attention to it anymore. Pitch also knew that visiting the frost sprite once and giving him nightmares wouldn’t be enough to break the boy. He would have to pay Jack a visit, but he couldn’t do it too soon, otherwise all of his plans would be for naught.

It felt though, to Pitch, that something was wrong… in his chest. He thought that when he got his revenge, it would fill the empty feeling he had, the loneliness he had. Now, it just felt like the emptiness had grown. Perhaps he hadn’t hurt Jack enough, perhaps Jack gave up too easily… perhaps the problem wasn’t Jack, but himself. Pitch growled and stood up, storming out of his lair. He looked around at the melting snow on the ground. Pitch had to find a new lair thanks to Jack.

It was Jack’s fault that he had to relocate, it was Jack’s fault that he had to rebuild his army, it was Jack’s fault that he had to hid in the shadows for the past 10 years, it was Jack’s fault that he still felt so empty inside. Pitch took a deep breath and went back underground, an angered look still on his face. Perhaps, he should pay Jack another visit.


	3. Chapter 3

The four guardians sat around the fifth, watching Sandy do what he could. Nightmare sand had been swirling over Jack's head for the past 27 minutes, despite Sandy's desperate attempts to rid him of it. Bunny had busted into the workshop, showing them that Jack was having a rather violent nightmare. He was thrashing around in his bed and groaning in discomfort.

Sandy had been able to stop them for an hour and a half, but the second he turned away the dreams turned back into nightmares. He hasn't been able to change them back since. Sandy lowered his hands and sighed, although no noise came out. Tooth looked at Sandy.

"What's wrong?" Dream sand formed an X over the Sandman's head as he pointed at Jack. Everyone paled.

"You mean you can't get rid of them?" Sandy shook his head. Series of pictures formed over his head that only North could understand.

"Sandy said the only thing we can do it wait until Jack wakes up. He said we should get back to work and do what we can while we can do it." The other two nodded, their good mood having vanished again. They went back to work, though mildly distracted.

"Jack... I'm scared." Jack looked at his little sister standing over cracked ice. He shifted his weight, wincing when it caused the ice beneath him to crack as well. Jack held out his hands.

"You're going to be fine, I promise. Would I lie to you?" The little girl trembled, on the verge of tears.

"Yes Jack! You always play tricks!" Jack shook his head and picked up a stick off of the ice.

"Well not this time. Here, let's play a game."

"This is no time for games Jack!"

"No, we're going to have a little fun. We're going to play hopscotch, like we do everyday. It's as easy as one," Jack took a step towards the thicker ice, wincing as it cracked, "two," Jack took another step, and then another, "three." She smiled and hesitantly took a small step forward.

"That's it! One, two, th-" As Jack's little sister went to take her third step, she slipped and fell into the ice. Jack screamed and jumped in the ice after her.

Jack shot up from his sleep, his breath coming out in short and ragged pants. He looked around, but didn't see anything, anything at all. It was pitch black, and Jack couldn't even see his own fingers in front of his face. He slowly sat up, causing whatever was on him to fall down. Jack's body ached and he groaned in protest when he tried to get up.

'No, I have to do this. I have to get out of here... where ever 'here' is...' Jack felt around, finding an edge to whatever it was that he was laying on. It came to Jack that he was most likely laying on some sort of bed and whatever was on him was probably a blanket. Why he was in one, he had no idea.

The last thing Jack remembered was giving another snow day in Burgess when North sent a letter asking him for help with Christmas. Jack gripped his head when a pain splitting headache found it's way into his mind. He fell back into the bed, thrashing and rolling around. The pain finally passed, leaving Jack more tired and sore than he already was.

He slowly and carefully moved his legs over the side, relishing the coldness that eminated from the floor onto his feet. Jack gripped the edge of the bed, and braced himself, taking a deep breath before slowly putting weight on his feet. He leaned forward, starting to stand on shaky legs. As he took his first step, pain shot up his leg, causing his body to burn slightly, adding on to the ache he already had. When Jack took his second step he collapsed, his legs not being able to hold all of his weight.

Jack's body collided with the floor, causing his ribs to emit a small crack in protest. His side began to burn as well, probably from the sudden jolt his body received. After several failed attempts at walking by himself, Jack decide to lean again the wall instead of leaning on his staff like he normally would.

Jack frantically looked around, reaching out blindly into the darkness. He had to find his staff, it was his whole being. There was never a time when Jack didn't have his staff, even when he slept. He remembered when he first touched it, how frost covered both the old wood staff and everything else they touched. Jack was going to find it.

He calmed down and took a deep breath, and started to search along the wall, leaning on it for support. Jack stretched his hands out in front of him, letting him know if there was something in front of him so he wouldn't run into it. It was a slow process for Jack to walk along the wall since he would trip and stumble every other step he took. His hands ran into something hard and cold, obviously metallic, but before he could stop himself, his body collided with the object. Instead of supporting his weight, it rolled away from him. His body crashed to the floor and the object to crashed into--what he could only guess to be--the wall.

A loud bang filled the room, worsening Jack's headache. Jack gave up after several failed attempts to stand up, his whole body sore and on fire. Jack heard the sound of feet against a wooden floor. They were coming closer and closer until he heard a door open. Jack looked up from the floor and instantly regretted it when light flooded his senses, causing his head to go haywire.

"Frostbite! What are you doing mate?" Once Jack's head stopped spinning he looked up to see a very surprised Bunny.

"Bunny...what are you doing here?" Bunny's face contorted in confusion.

"What do you mean, 'what am I doing here?'... oh blimey, you don't remember, do you frostbite?" Jack starred at Bunny from where he was laying on the floor.

"Remember what? The last thing I remember was when I got a letter from North an-" Jack gripped his head again when another pain consumed his head. Bunny was by his side in an instant. He scooped Jack up and sat him back on the bed.

"What were you doing?" Jack waited until the pain in his head turned into a dull ache before answering Bunny's question.

"I woke up and I couldn't see anything, so I tried to... leave, but I couldn't do anything and then I couldn't find my staff and I-"

"Frostbite, I'd think it would be best if we explained everything to you together, but not in here, it's too depressing." Jack looked around, not really paying attention to the room before, even though he could see. It was rather dull, but he could tell he was at the workshop based off of the colors. Jack found the object that he ran into, a metal cart that was now tipped over with its contents laying sprawled out on the floor.

"Before we go though, I gotta change your bandages. You managed to bang yourself up pretty bad." Jack looked down, just now noticing he was shirtless. His torso was covered in bloody bandages, although they still remained mostly crisp and white. He tugged at one of them, causing it too come loose and unwind. Why was he in bandages?

"Bandages?" Bunny placed his hand on Jack's shoulder. Jack looked up and met his gaze.

"Look, mate, I know you're confused, but just let me fix you back up and then we can explain everything to you. Okay?" Jack just nodded. What else could he do? He had no idea what was going on, what had happened, or why he was at the North Pole. The only thing that he did know, was that Bunny was taking care of him. Jack sat up straighter and let Bunny do his job. As Bunny unwrapped the bandages, Jack looked down and saw his marked body. To say he was confused and a little scared would be a huge understatement.

There were cuts all over his body that looked like they'd hurt when he got him. Apparently, there was also a wound that Jack couldn't see on his side. He tried to look at it, but bending sideways caused his ribs to burn and he got a good chastising from Bunny in the process. It took a while, but Bunny finally finished. He picked the cart that Jack knocked over back up, and put his extra supplies back on it. Jack tried to stand up so that he could walk with Bunny to get his explanation and staff back, but apparently Bunny had different ideas.

"Jack, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like, Bunny? I'm trying to stand up." Bunny pushed him back on the bed.

"Exactly, trying. You're not exactly in that sort of shape mate. Here," Bunny pulled out, what looked like a cane, and handed it to Jack, "I know it's not your staff, but you can use this until we can get it back from North. I don't have any idea where he put it." Jack frowned at the cane. He had never really relied on   
Anything but his staff, except for the one time Pitch broke it, but even then he fixed it and flew out of the trench. Jack took the cane from Bunny and rolled it in his hands. It definitely felt foreign in his hands; it wasn't rough and sturdy like his staff, it was polished and week. However, Jack wanted to know about what happened.

He tried to get up again, using the cane by putting most of his weight on it. He slowly took a few steps, moving the cane in time with his feet. Jack was glad that he wasn't falling on his face, but it still felt so unnatural to him. Bunny walked beside as they walked down the hallway, Bunny was there every time he stumbled or tripped.

Jack had no idea why the Kangaroo was being so kind to him, but he liked it whatever it was. It was nice for a change. They walked down the hallway, having to stop along the way so that Jack could rest for a few moments. The two stopped in front of a large set of double doors. Bunny opened one of them and held it open so that Jack could walk into the room.

Jack saw North, Sandy, and Tooth sitting around in armchairs that were next to a fireplace. Their faces were desolate, just starring at empty spaces. Jack stepped into the room, stepping to the side so Bunny could walk in too. He looked around, seeing the Pole so depressing didn't sit well with him.

"Hey guys..." Everyone's head shot up at the sound of Jack's voice. It had been a while since they last heard it.

"Jack, you're awake! How do you feel?" Jack sat down in an armchair that was close to the others, but far away from the fire. He shrugged in response to Tooth's question.

"Not too bad. A little sore and achy, but I'm fine other than that." North smiled and stood up. He walked over to Jack and patted him on the shoulder gently.

"That is wonderful, Jack! Come, I make cooki-" Bunny hoped over.

"Mate, Frostbite doesn't remember what happened. It's because of the concussion that he had." North looked at Bunny.

"Oh, well then, I guess we should explain." The guardians took turns explaining everything to Jack, well, except for Tooth, she couldn't do it. Jack remained calm throughout the whole explanation.

"So, Pitch was the one," Jack pointed to himself, "who did this?" Everyone nodded.

"And I've been asleep for the past week?" North shrugged.

"On and off yes. You woke up a few times, but only for a minute or two each time before you passed out again." Jack nodded.

"Uh huh, and I had nightmares the whole entire time?" Bunny nodded this time.

"Yeah, Sandy managed to get rid of them every time you woke up, but they'd just come right back." Jack nodded. It was a bit to take in, perhaps he would remember it eventually. After all, something that painful would be hard to remember.

"So what now?" The guardians looked at each other in response to Jack's question. North scratched the back of his neck.

"Well uh, you see, what happened, I mean, if you really want-"

"What North means to say," Jack turned to Tooth, who interrupted North, "is that we've been thinking about what's best for you right now. Pitch said that he was just after you, not the children, so with that in mind, we think that it'd be best if you went and stayed with Jamie for a while."

"Jamie? Why him? It's been a few years since I've last saw him, are you sure that he still even believes? He's like 20 now isn't he?" Tooth nodded.

"19, but yes, his light still burns as bright as ever on the globe. If Pitch is going to come after again, then we need to put you somewhere that he won't look. It's been 10 years since any of us have talked to Jamie, except for you, so he would never think to look there. Plus, now that he's living on his own, there's no way Pitch could tell him apart from all the other lights." Jack shrugged.

"I guess, but it still seems a little weird for me." North patted him on the back.

"Weird? Jack, we are guardians! Weird is what we do!" Jack laughed sheepishly. Perhaps a break from the four was just what he needed.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack, what are you doing?" Jack looked like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He slowly looked up at Jamie, trying to make as innocent of a face as he could, but failing miserably. Realizing that that wouldn't work, he decided to scratch the back of his head and smile sheepishly.

"Hey Jamie, long time no see..." Jamie shook his head as if trying to clear his thoughts.

"Never mind, I don't want to know. What are you doing here?" Jack sighed and let his smile fall from his face. He knew Jamie was going to ask this question sooner or later, he had hoped later though. Jack pushed the box he had been going through aside, his playfulness having left him. He looked around the room.

'Wow, I can't believe how different things are now...' Although, Jack couldn't really blame him. 10 years was an awfully long time, not to him of course. To the opposite of Jack, Jamie had grown throughout those ten years; growing and moving on with his life. Of course, he had never lost his belief. His friends did, one by one, slipping away and forgetting about what mattered the most. That was apart of growing up, Jamie supposed.

Speaking of growing up, Jamie hadn't grown up all that bad, if he did say so himself. He finally hit a growth spurt during middle school, him now towering over just 6 foot. His hair had grown longer and his skin a bit more toned. He obviously took care of his body, which was very apparent since he currently had no shirt on, just jeans. His chest was slightly defined, hints of beginning muscles here and there. Jamie's skin and hair were wet, most likely coming from the shower that Jack had heard running while entering Jamie's house.

"Jack?" Jack shook his head, trying to clear his mind and deciding on how to tell Jamie. It was strange, having to tell Jamie something that he didn't even remember happening. Although, his body was still incredibly sore from the whole ordeal, proof that it had actually happened. He chuckled to himself, albeit darkly.

"To be honest, I dont' quite know myself."

"But then what-" Jack held up his hand up, cutting Jamie off.

"Let me explain." Jamie sat down on his knees in front of Jack and nodded. Jack explained to Jamie what North and Bunny explained to him. He explained about helping North with Christmas when trouble started at the Tooth Palace, how Pitch had bound them all and attacked Jack, how he wanted to make the guardians suffer the way they had him. Jack finished his story and the two sat in silence.

It hurt Jack to see Jamie with that look on his face. How pathetic he must look to him. How can Jack protect the children of the world when he couldn't even protect himself? Jack felt something inside him break. Of course he couldn't protect the children, he had just made a mess of things and caused more trouble for the others. He would never admit it, but he still felt out of place at times when he was with the guardians, especially when they talked about times before he knew them. Perhaps Jack was the reason that Pitch had caused them so much trouble. He had refused Pitch's offer after all.

Jack's head was starting to hurt from all the pathetic thoughts running through his head. Pathetic, that's what he was. Jack shook his head and starred at the floor, trying not to look at Jamie in the face and see-- the probable --rejection in his eyes. If he did, Jack didn't know if he'd be able to take it. In an instant, he found himself wrapped up in a warm embrace.

"I'm sorry that happened Jack. I can't believe Pitch could be so cruel... well, scratch that. He could be that cruel, I can't believe he'd be that cruel to you. You're such a good person and you make such good snowball fights, it's just... so sad..." Jack smiled and leaned into the embrace. It was strange, he was the spirit of winter, but he found the warm embrace extremely comforting. Jack mentally scorned himself, how could he ever doubt Jamie? He knew better than anyone how loyal and caring Jamie was.

"Thanks Jamie." Jack could feel Jamie nod, then pull away. Jamie began to run around the room, moving things and sorting through them shouting, "I'm going to be late!" He pulled on a blue t-shirt and combed his hair, slipping on a pair of tennis shoes along the way. Jamie threw a black back pack onto the couch against the wall, throwing papers and folders that were spread throughout the room into it. He closed it and slipped it on his back. He turned back to Jack, smiling apologetically.

"Sorry Jack. You're more than welcome to stay here, but I have to go to school. I'll be back around 5'ish. Try not to break anything, but you can do what you want. I'm not really sure if you eat or not, but there's snacks in the kitchen. Sorry, got to go, don't want to be late, bye!" Jack watched as Jamie left, shutting the door behind him. Jack listened intently until he heard Jamie's foot prints disappear, then pulled the box that he had been going through earlier, closer.

It turned out that the box had nothing interesting in it that Jack could use to tease Jamie with, in fact, non of the boxes in Jamie's house had anything interesting in them. Based on all the boxes of stuff floating around the house, it was clear that Jamie had just moved into the house. He was 19 after all, finally had a job, his own house, and was off to college; that was probably where he was now. Jack would have to sneak into his school sometime and mess with him, perhaps throw a snowball or two at a professor. Jamie would love that.  
...  
Jack was currently jumping on Jamie's bed, the covers and pillows thrown haphazardly across the room. Jack stopped when his side started to sting and burn in pain.

'Perhaps I shouldn't be moving around so much. If Bunny or North saw me, I'd be dead...Speaking of which, they should be here soon to redress my wounds and such...' Jack hopped off the bed and threw the blankets back on it, but didn't make it. They would scold him if he didn't eat something so he went into the kitchen, grumbling because he had to use the cane again. When Jack got better, he was going to throw the cursed thing into the grand fire place at the workshop. He sat the cane down and opened up the many cabinets looking for food.

Apparently, new houses don't have food in the cabinets.

"And Jamie said there was food in here, psh... I could just go and steal some food from somewhere, it's not like I don't save the world on a daily basis... but if Bunny, North, or Jamie came in and I wasn't here, I would never hear the end of it..." Jack gave up on trying to find food and sat cross-legged on the granite counters. Apparently, Jamie's job paid well because he had a very nice house for a college student. It was only one floor, but it had two bedrooms, one grand bathroom, an open kitchen that connected to the dining room, and 2 lounge areas. Jack had took his time exploring and rummaging through the house and unlike Jack, Jamie hadn't done anything wrong once.

Jack found Jamie's work uniform in his closet. Apparently, Jamie was interning at the local hospital. He'd have to ask Jamie about it later. It was then that Jack heard something coming from the living room. He grabbed the cane off the ground and and limped into the living room. Jack wasn't surprised when he found out it was coming from the chimney. North came stumbling out, surprisingly with Bunny behind. Unfortunately, Bunny did not have a very graceful landing.

"Curses, I knew we should'a taken my tunnels. Lot safer." North helped Bunny up.

"Do not worry Bunny, you did fine." Jack couldn't help but laugh at the two's antics. North and Bunny turned to him and smiled.

"How ya feeling Frostbite?" Jack shrugged in response to Bunny's question.

"Alright I suppose. My side's hurting a bit though." North nodded and walked over to Jack. He motioned to the couch and Jack complied, sitting up straight and pulling off his hoodie. Bunny followed and pulled a pack off of his back and handed it to North. North rebandaged Jack's injured, some of them still bleeding slightly. He felt around Jack's ribs, frowning when Jack hissed in pain.

"You're smaller cuts are healing nicely, but your stab wound is still pretty bad. It looks like you've torn it, what did you do today?"

"Well, I, uh... kinda... jumped on the bed..." Jack hadn't expected to be be hit on the head with a tube of medicine. North sighed.

"Jack, you're not going to get any better if you don't stay put," Although, North was mentally smiling. The fact that Jack was doing what he wasn't supposed to, meant that Jack was still himself. If Jack remembered, North didn't think that would be the case. North pulled out, what looked like a plastic corset from the bag, "now Jack, your ribs aren't healing as fast as I'd like so we'll have to put this on you until they get back on track..."

"How does that thing even work?" North smiled.

"I hoped you were going to ask that. So, you slip this on like you would a piece of armor. I know it doesn't look very comfortable, but this cast is very special!" Jack looked sceptical, "Truly, I made it myself. It's fashioned so that any guardian can wear it, meaning that once you put it on, it will fit to your body. It will be like a second skin to you, but it will keep your movements limited like any other cast. Although, it will look like a close-fitting shirt.

"Oh..."

"Don't worry Frostbite," Jack turned to Bunny, who placed a hand on his shoulder, "it's only for a little while." North smiled.

"Bunny is right, do not worry Jack. We must get back to work, but Jamie will be able to treat your wounds before you go to sleep. Bye bye Jack."

"Later mate." Bunny tapped the ground with his foot, despite the protest from, North. The two disappeared, leaving Jack by himself for the next 3 hours until Jamie returned. He picked up the plastic cast and limped to the bathroom. Jack slipped off his hoodie and shirt. He put on the plastic cast, looking at himself in the mirror as he did so. It took a moment, but the plastic began to move and bend with respect to his body. North was right, it did look just like an undershirt.

Jack bent over to grab his shirt and hoodie of the floor, but found out that his back wouldn't bend, just his waist. Jack shouted in aggravation when he lost his balance and fell. His side began to burn again, as well as his chest from the tumble. Jack had just realized that that was the first time he had fallen since he got to Jamie's house. He was very proud of himself. Although falling wasn't a good thing, only falling once showed that he was making progress. Progress was good.

Jack pulled himself up, making sure to grab his hoodie as he did so. He left his shirt on the floor. His hoodie would cover his chest and his shirt was too far away. Jack slipped on the hoodie with some difficulty and walked out of the bathroom. He decided to watch a movie until Jamie got back. It figured that most of the movies Jamie had were documentaries of mythical creatures like Bigfoot. The movie only had 30 minutes left when Jamie walked through the door.

"Jack? i brought some Chinese food. I don't know if you like it or not, so I just got you some sesame chicken and white rice." Jamie surprised to see Jack sitting on the couch, , watching one of his Bigfoot movies. If anything, Jamie was expecting to see Jack bouncing around the house, not watching a four hour documentary. Jack looked at him.

"Oh, that's fine. Want to finish watching this is with me? it's actually quite interesting. We can eat while it plays." Jamie blushed. None of his friends ever wanted to watch one of his documentaries, and the fact that it was Jack that wanted to watch it just made it all the more special. Jack was just... he was just the best person in the world to Jamie. He was funny, mischievous, sly, charming, strong brave... just everything good in a person. The fact that Jamie was the first child to see him just made their relationship all the more sweet. Jamie pushed all of those thoughts aside and smiled.

"Sure! what do you think about the evidence they found in Richmond? Real or fake?" jack shrugged while watching Jamie pull off his back pack and set out the food on the coffee table. Jamie handed Jack his box of food and sat down next to him.

"Although you can tell the people were extremists towards Bigfoot, the evidence seems sound, even though that picture they had was obviously fake." Jamie nodded. He had thought the same thing too. It also turned out that Jack LOVED Chinese food. They ended up watching another documentary on aliens, but it wasn't nearly ad long. By the time they finished, it was already 7.

"Oh yea, that's right. I'm supposed to change your bandages before we go to sleep." Jack's mind froze. What happened before earlier wasn't enough to know what his reaction to actually seeing the cuts would and the bruises would be. Jamie didn't seem to think any different of him but he could just be pretending. No, Jamie wasn't like that, but it still terrified Jack. 'What ifs' were flying through his head so fast by the time one began another ended. He numbly followed Jamie into the guest bedroom, time seemed to slow down. Jamie sat him on the bed and they looked at each other.

"Um Jack, I'm going to have to take off your hoodie now, okay?" Jack nodded. Jamie leaned down and grabbed the hem of Jack's hoodie and gently pulled it off the spirit. To say Jamie was surprised was an understatement. Bandages were wrapped around Jack's torso completely. Some of them were covered with fresh blood, while others just tinted slightly red. He looked at the white thing on his chest.

"Jack, what's this?" jack watched as Jamie traced the outlines of his chest through the white cast. He couldn't help but shiver in response to Jamie's cool fingers.

"It's a cast thingy for my ribs. Pitch broke 3 of them." Jamie frowned. He didn't like seeing Jack so broken, he didn't like it at all. Jamie also didn't like the fact that he would have to look at the injuries behind the bandages.

"Alright Jack, I'm going to take off your bandages and redress them, okay?" Jack nodded. Jamie did as he said, slowly unwrapping the bandages and slipping off the cast. He tried to keep his shock inside as he worked. The bruises were a dark purple, and some of the scratches had begun to scab over. The large foot shaped bruise was still on his chest, and his stab wound was still bleeding slightly from Jack's fall. Jamie cleaned them and rewrapped them, placing the cast back on Jack. Before Jack could get up, he found himself wrapped up in another warm embrace.

"Jamie?" Jack was worried about the silence that responded. He froze when he felt tears splash on his bare shoulders.


	5. Chapter 5

_Sophie be careful!" Jamie's younger sister was drawing with chalk on their driveway._

_"I'll be fine Jamie, you worry way too much. Hey, we should play hopscotch like we did when we were little." Before Jamie could protest, Sophie began to draw the boxes and number them. Jamie sighed._

_"Is this really how you want to spend my last day at home together?" Sophie nodded._

_"Yes. It's perfect. Just like we're kids again." Jamie smiled and watched as Sophie finished the hopscotch drawing. Chalk dust covered her arms and legs as she stepped back to look at her work._

_"There, done." She raised her hand in the air and shouted, "I call going first!" Sophie pulled up the legs of her pants showing her tall, slender legs. She took on what looked like a battle stance that made Jamie laugh. After a moment of preperation, Sophie took off, jumping and twisting as easily as if she were walking. She finished the game, but lost her balance on the last jump. Sophie stumbled out into the road before she was able to balance herself. Jamie looked at her, worried._

_"Sophie, get out of the road. It's not safe!" Sophie stomped her foot and shouted back._

_"Well, it's not like I meant to, Dummy!" Sophie began to walk back towards the driveway, neither noticing the car until it was too late._

_"Sophie!!!" Time slowed down and the took looked at each other._

_"Jamie, I'm scared."_

Jamie shot up in his bed, sweat running all over his body and tears streaming down his face. He hadn't had a nightmare like that since Pitch was in power. Pitch... Jamie had to go check on Jack. Lightning flashed through his room as he stumbled out of bed. After rewrapping Jack's wounds they just talked. When it was time to sleep he helped Jack to the guest bedroom and helped him undress before going to his own room. The nightmare had felt so real, but Jamie tried not to think about it.

He walked into the cold hallway when a clash of thunder sounded. Jamie reached Jack's door. Without thinking, he threw open the door and peered inside.  It was too dark to see anything, and it was... too silent. Lightning flashed again, illuminating the room from the window. Jamie felt his heart drop.

Pitch was there, leaning over Jack, who was laying in a pool of his own blood. Jamie wasn't even sure if it _was_ Jack laying under Pitch.  The only thing he could clearly see through the blood, cuts, and bruises were Jack's eyes. They were so scarred and full of pain. Jamie could only imagine what had happened while he was sleeping.  
...  
Jack remembered. He remembered it all. The funny thing was, it was Pitch who helped him remember... through a nightmare. It was cruel, the fact that Jack had the bliss of ignorance of the pain and fear, but Pitch had made him remember. It wasn't just cruel, it was terrifying. Yes, he remembered all right.

Remembered the pain, the burn, the _fear_. Not only that, but Pitch also came for a visit. Because of his concussion, Jack had about how Pitch could find him anywhere. Perhaps that was his plan all along. Jack glanced at the plastic cast that layed shattered on the floor, along with his roen hoodie.

"You know Jack, it hurts my feelings that you had forgotten about our little engagement. I took the liberty of helping you remember, it wouldn't be any fun if you didn't. I'm sure your friend would like to see it too. Who knows, maybe I'll let him watch like I let the guardians last time..." Jack felt like crying, but he didn't. The last thing Jack wanted was for Jamie to see him so helpless, but he would stay strong, for Jamie. He glared at Pitch and spat blood on his face, making sure that Jamie could see his act of defiance. Jack wouldn't let Jamie worry, not like he did the guardians. Pitch growled at him and leaned closer.

"That's not how you treat guests Jack. Let me show you how I treat rude guests." Jamie could only watch as Pitch drove his fist in Jack's abdomen. Jack coughed up blood all over himself, although it didn't make a difference, causing blood to run down his chin. Jamie's legs wouldn't move, he was frozen where he was. He couldn't help Jack, even when he really needed him. It was then that he noticed black sand wrapped around his ankles. He hadn't even seen it move!

Jack laid against the bed, panting in raspy breaths. He was feeling dizzy, he knew it was from severe blood loss. If the guardians didn't save him soon, Jack feared there wouldn't been anything left to save. Thank Man in Moon that Pitch hadn't stabbed him again or broken any bones yet, otherwise, he'd be in big trouble.

After Jack had woken up from his disturbing nightmare/memory, he hadn't been very surprised to see Pitch over top of him and black sand wrapped around his arms and legs like before. That didn't mean he wasn't scared though.

_"Pitch, why are you here? Did you not have enough fun last time?" Pitch smiled darkly._

_"Oh believe me Jack, I had a wonderful time listening to you scream. In fact, so much that I've decided to play with you again. Doesn't that sound like fun, Jack? Or, would you prefer it if I called you... Frostbite?" Jack's eyes widened._

_Pitch continued his tauntings, "What? I thought you liked the nickname Frostbite, Jack. Bunnymund calls you that all the time. Oh, but they way he looks at you Jack, you must be very special to him. I wonder why..." Jack made the most inhuman growl that Pitch had ever thought possible. The spirit was very angrey, and it was_ _**very** apparent. Jack struggled against the nightmare sand that bound him, grunting and shaking his head. His attempts were fruitile since he just ended up more tiried and out of breath._

_"Leave Bunny out of this!" Pitch's face lit up  at Jack's outburst._

_"Oh, did I hit a nerve, **Frostbite**?  Maybe I should leave a gift for Bunny? I think a damaged and torn Jack would be perfect, don't you? I brought us some new things to try, so let's get started." PItch had brought his sand dagger, which was to be expected. He also brought lightning bolts that he had stolen from Lady storm, which was probably why there was a thunderous storm outside. He also brought a secondary dagger that was made of blood stone that Pitch had found while trapped underground for 10 years. _

_Jack found out the hard way that the lightning bolt shocked him, althgouh it was a fraction of the power of an actual one. The blood dagger caused the blood inside of him to burn. Pitch had explained how all of them worked before hand, but Jack was in too much pain to really pay attention to him._

Jamie had arrived after Pitch had already tortured and beaten Jack. The guardian of fun was brought out of his thoughts by another punch to his midsection. He still hadn't screamed once. He couldn't do it with Jamie watching, and also since Pitch had mentioned Bunny. Bunny... What _did_ Jack think about Bunny?

Now that Jack thought about it, he realized that he didn't really think about it. Jack and Bunny were always bickering and fighting, but they were very close. They were almost like brothers. Did Bunny think of Jack as something more? Did Jack think of Bunny as something more? He cherised all of the guardians, they were his family. However, there was something special between the two. Had the other guardians noticed? No, the guardians were too naive to think something like that. He had to let them --no, he had to let Bunny know how he felt.

"Pitch, you can say what you want about the guardians, but you're wasting your breath. I know the guardians will be there for me no matter what and I don't blame them or Jamie for anything that's happened to me. In fact, I'm thankful for all that they've done for me. Also, about what you said earlier about me being special to Bunny; you may be right, or you may not, but Bunny is someone special to me. More than just a friend or a brother. He's important to me, and you will never be able to break that!" Pitch had had enough. He pulled out the dagger of nightmare sand that he had yet to use and drove it into Jack's abdomen. Jack froze. He didn't scream like last time, but he questioned if the holding back was really worth it.

It turned out that being stabbed from the front hurt much more than being stabbed in the side. Pitch didn't take the dagger out, he left it, the handle sticking out of Jakc's body. Pitch leaned back, still very upset with Jack. How dare he not break under him! Jack and the guardians were supposed to dread being alive, to suffer! Pitch growled and turned to Jamie.

"Sorry to cut things short, but Jack is going to break, and I am going to make sure of it!" Pitch reached over the side of the bed and picked up Jack's staff which had been returned earlier that night. He gripped it tightly and with a grunt, he snapped the branch in half. Jack cried out and slowly felt tears running down his face. Pitch wavedhis hands, causing the sand holding Jack hostage to disappear. The young spirit curled in on himself.  Pitch smiled and looked back at Jamie.

"I'll be taking my leave, but it seems that Jack could still take a push in the right direction." Pitch gathered Jack in his arms bridal style, carefully making sure that his dagger wouldn't go any deeper into Jack than it already was. It wouldn't do any good if Jack died. He slipped into the dark, leaving Jamie by himself, and taking Jack with him.


	6. Chapter 6

The other guardians showed up a couple mintes after. Jamie wasn't sure how they could have figured out something was wrong so soon, but he was glad they were there. His mind was still numb from the whole ordeal that had taken place only moments ago. After Pitch had broken Jack's staff, Jamie couldn't believe how Jack still hadn't screamed. Tooth had stopped by after Jack had fallen asleep and dropped it off. She made sure to check Jamie's teeth before she left. Bunny's voice was woried as he busted into the room.

"Jamie, what happened? Where's Jack?" Jamie glanced at the floor, similar to what Jack had done earlier that night before he had told Jamie what happened. He still couldn't believe it. He didn't understand how Jack could say all of the things he had said earlier. Jamie saw what Pitch had done, he saw what little mercy, if any, that he had towards Jack. Bunny knew something was _very_ wrong when he saw the broken look on Jamie's face. He bent down to look Jamie in the face and shook his shoulders.

"Jamie, what happened?" Bunny's voice was stern, but it was so full of concern it brought Jamie out of his thoughts. Jamie raised his head and looked at Bunny, gazing into his worried eyes. Jamie knew that his own eyes were full of fear and sadness at the moment, but he didn't care. He struggled to find words to explain to the guardians that their youngest member had been tortured and then kidnapped.

"I was sleeping, but I had a nightmare," he gasped for air, panting and panicking about what had happened, "I had to go check on Jack, but Pith was there... the blood... God, _the blood_ _ _!__ There was so much but I couldn't move.... I couldn't do anything and Jack... Jack... God, Jack!" Jamie was in hysterics. He calmed down when he felt his own tears trailing down his face. He took a deep breath and stared at Bunny, they didn't have much time before Jack broke under Pitch.

"We have to find him, Bunny. Pitch took him..." Jamie hadn't seen anyone as angry as Bunny was when he said that. Bunny growled and let go of Jamie, instead choosing to pace around the room. It literally looked like he was steaming. It was then that the other guadians walked in. Tooth looked around the roo and couldn't help but cry at the sight of all the blood.

"What happened Jamie?" North asked. Jamie shook his head as more tears gushed out of his eyes.

"Please North... please don't ask me to say it, it was hard enough having to watch it..." North frowned.

"He made you watch too?" Jamie nodded.

"Wait," everyone turned to Tooth, surprised that she was paying attention to the conversation, "if Jamie saw what happened, then we can too. When I checked his teeth last night he had some wisdom teeth that need to be pulled. If I pull one out, we can see his memories. Is that okay?" Jamie nodded. As long as he didn't have to describe it, he would be fine. Tooth pulled the tooth on his bottom right hand side. Since she was the Tooth Fairy, it didn't hurt. She asked for everyone to focus on the tooth as she opened the memory for all to see.

...

Pitch walked in the chamber that held his new guest. It was little more than a jail cell. Black bars made of sand kept is prey within his new home. Although, even without the bars, Jack wouldn't be able to get out of the cell because of the chain that connected Jack from his collar to the wall. It kept him from trying anything, even though he couldn't do anything without his staff but gave him enough room to walk around a little.

Currently, Jack was sleeping on a small bed that sat in the corner of the cell. After he had been brought back to Pitch's lair, he had been taken care of. Pitch took out his dagger and wrapped all of his wounds. Jack had been asleep for a little over a week. For some reason, Pitch was upset that Jack still hadn't woken up. The nightmare king was confused, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. He sat on the edge of Jack's bed and gazed at the young spirit.

Pitch had cared for the guardian everyday, making sure his wounds where healing and that his nightmare sand was spreading inside of the boy. It was strange. Pitch felt a warm sensation throughout his chest as he gazed at Jack. He noticed that he had rolled over in his sleep and caused some of his white hair to fall over his eyes. Pitch leaned over and brushed the defiant strands behind Jack's ears. Pitch smiled, but then quickly frowned.

 _'Perhaps I'm tired. I should rest...'_ Pitch stood up and with one last glance towards Jack, left the cell. He walked down the long and ominous halls of his new home. Pitch had been too weak at the time to fully build himself a new palace, so he stayed in the underground catacombs below France. Over 10 years thoguhm he had addedto it and now it was a place he could call home. Of course, he never really got used to the stray skulls that lined some of the hallways. Finally, he arrived at his chambers and slept for the night.

That night, Jack had finally woken up. Unlike last time, Jack completely remembered what had happened. When he first woke up, he panicked. Jack had no idea what was going on or where he was, similar to when he woke at the workshop. He took a moment to collect his thoughts and calm down. Well, as calm as he could be while being in enemy territory. To Jack's relief, Pitch hadn't shown up once. Whether it was because he didn't know or was focused on something else, Jack didn't care. He simply relaxed while he had the chance.

Pitch on the other hand, was not so lucky. It turned out that he was  still rather weak and had slept for almost 17 hours. Of course, he didn't just sleep, he dreamt. On any other day, he would've considered it a nightmare, but recently, everything he felt was twisted and it was actually a very plesant dream. Pitch was so ensnared by the dream that he completely forgot about who had sent the dream and what they intended to do with it. What did the nightmare king dream about?

Jack.

It wasn't just any dream about Jack either. It was a very _pleasurable_ dream. Pitch was with Jack. There was no sand, no chains, no blood, just them. There was no hatred, no resentment, no pain, just pleasure.

_"Pitch" pant "Please, I can't," pant "take anymore of your torture..."_

_Pitch licked Jack's side, creating patterns on the latter's body with his tongue. There was no wounds that impacted their activities._ _Jack squirmed underneath Pitch's body. His breathing was ragged and his body felt as if on fire, but in the best possible way. Pitch's mouth suddenly changed directions and moved to the left_ _, latching onto one of Jack's nipples. His free hand snaked around the young boy's body and toyed with the other, twilring at just the right moments._

_"Ah... Pitch, we can't wait much longer, I can't," Jack took a pause to moan. Pitch smiled and lifted his mouth and hand off of Jack, who whimpered at the loss of warmth. Pitch shifted until he was straddling the younger's waist. He slid their groins together, the friction alone enough to make both of them moan. Pitch did it again, lifting his fingers to Jack's mouth. Jack silently took them inside of his mouth, swirling and sucking to make it pleasurable as he coated them with saliva. Pitch took them out of Jack's mouth and slid them down Jack's backside._

_For the first time since the dream began, Pitch and Jack's lips met. It wasn't hasty or messy; it was simple. Passion was clear throughout the kiss. Sparks flew and Pitch found himself craving the younger spirit_ _. He touched, kissed, and lickedevery inch of the boy's body as he moved inside of him. And he loved it._

"Is it working? Can you find Pitch?" North asked. Sandy searched for the location of his dream sand. The four had come up with a plan to find Pitch, hopefully finding Jack in the process. It was silent after everyone watched Jamie's memory two weeks ago. No one would say anything. They all had the same hope that it was just a nightmare and that if they waited long enough, they would wake up and Jack would still be sleeping in bed. However, it was very much real, and Jack was very much gone.

Sandy had had an idea though. If Pitch could track Jack using nightmares, then Sandy could track Pitch using dreams. Sandy had sent out dream sand two weeks ago, and it he was very luck to find a moment where one, Pitch was sleeping, and two, that he wasn't chasing off his dream sand. In fact, the nightmare king welcomed it with open arms. Sandy smiled and nodded.

"Great! Where's the devil hiding?" Sandy flew over to the globe that sat in the workshop. He pointed to a place in France. Bunny smiled, although there was no happiness in it, just bloodlust.

"Alright mates, let's get going." Jamie placed a hand on Bunny's shoulder. Bunny turned to look at the man.

"Bunny," Jamie begain, "we can't just go rushing in there. It's been 10 years since we last faced Pitch and we have no idea what's waiting for us in France. I want to find Jack as much as you do, believe me, but if we rush in we'd be more trouble than help.'' Bunny looked into Jamie's eyes and saw it. Jamie did care for Jack as much as he did. It took a while, but after hearing what Jack said to Pitch, he realized that he loved Jack. Plain and simple. Looking into Jamie's eyes, Bunny saw that he did too. North decided to end the silence.

"Jamie is right. Come, we see what we can do.'

...

"What on Earth, is so important that you had to wake me up?" Pitch glared at the nightmare that had woke him up after his dream. The nightmare telepathically told Pitch what she needed to tell him.

"What? Jack woke up while I was sleeping? Why didn't you wake me up?... Oh, I _wouldn't_ wake up. I see. Please, leave me for a while. I'll check on him later." The horse left, following her master's order without fail. Pitch sighed and sat up in his bed, quickly noticing the the sticky substance near his groin. It covered his clothes and sheets and smelled quite foul. Of course, Pitch knew exactly what it was and what it was doing there. His dream seemed to have affected him in reality too. The nightmare king grumbled to himself.

He undressed and removed his bedding. He threw the bedding in the laundry but simply made his clothes disappear since they were made of nightmare sand like himself. He still hadn't registered the fact that he he had a _dream_ , which meant that the Sandman was up to something, or what the dream itself meant. Pitch quickly dressed himself again.

The spirit sighed, leaning against his bed. Dreams... dreams. The nightmare king didn't have dreams. Dreams about Jack no less. Pitch yelled out in anger and smashed the nightstand next to his bed. Some of the wood had cut his legs, but he wasn't paying attention. He stared at the broken peice of funiture. It was nothing special, there more like it. Just like Jack.

Why was Jack so special? There were more spirits out there, plently more if you knew where to look. How did Jack, of all spirits, attract even the slightest bit of attention from him other than complete resentment. Perhaps Pitch felt some sort of empathy for the boy since he was lonely, like himself. No, it was something more than that. Something stronger and deeper. Pitch shook his head, it would come soon enough.

Pitch's stomach growled quitely, signaling his hunger. He would see Jack later, food came first. It turned out a lot of things came before Jack. Pitch took a stroll in his fortress, created more nightmares, and eventualy just plainly ignored Jack. He thought on and on about his problem. It was on the tip of his tongue. It was if he knew what it was, but his whole being refuesd to accept it, whatever 'it' was. Pitch growled and decided to head to bed. Jack could wait until morning.

Thankfully, Pitch didn't have any more dreams that night. The nightmare king had the whole morning to think. He had to come to the conclusion that instead of trying to figure it out himself, he would fix his troubles from the source. Pitch would see Jack today, no pushing it off or changing of minds. Jack had been at the fortress for almost 2 weeks. His injuries should be almost healed, except for any broken bones, aka, his ribs. Of course, Jack was a spirit so hewould heal faster than a human depending on the injuries themselves. Pitch had broken the boy's staff so he would still be very weak. things would get interesting.

Pitch walked down the long corridor that lead to Jack's cell. Cell... it sounded like Jack was a criminal. He had to move Jack. Pitch didn't like Jack, but he wouldn't treat him like a common criminal. Jack was so much more. Pitch stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide. What was he just thinking? Was he showing compassian, to Jack no less? Pitch shook his head and continued walking.

He finally arrived at his destination. The room was filled with cells, but Pitch knew which one Jack was in. He slowly walked over to the fourth cell on the right. The nightmare king wasn't sure what to expect when he saw Jack. So many different scenarios played through the man's mind. For the first time in his afterlife, Pitch felt anxiousness. Pitch finally reached the cell and opened the gate, making sure to look anywhere but the bed. He slipped inside and shut the door behind him. Pitch looked up at the bed.

Jack was sleep. The anxiousness left him as well as all of his other emotions. Pitch just gazed at Jack, and then it hit him. He realized why he was so off lately. Why he had that dream. Why he had showed something other than hate.

He loved Jack.

Pitch felt anger and bloodlust course through him. Before he knew what he was doing, Pitch slapped Jack hard enough to make him fall out of the bed. The nightmare king pulled out his sand dagger and slashed. He finally composed himself afterwards as soon as he realized he had done it.

Jack had woken up to a slap on the face and a cold hard floor as well was a tug on his neck. He looked up just in time to watch Pitch drag his dagger in a thing line over his eyes and the bridge of his nose. His vision darkened and he felt blood running out of his eyes. Pain blossomed and the only thing Jack could do was watch as his world turned black forever.


	7. Chapter 7

Jack cursed when he slipped and fell for the third time that day. It had been almost a week since Pitch took his sight. That, plus the two weeks Pitch said he had been unconscious meant that he had been here for almost 3 weeks. That was only 7 days from an entire  _month_. 7 days without his sight. He was still adjusting. The first three days without his sight, Jack spent in his cell, trying to map it out as best as he could without help, despite the chain on his neck.

Jack had done well, given the short amount of time he was blind and had been in that cell. Then, suddenly, on the fourth day, Pitch let him out. The king gave Jack his own room and said he could go anywhere he wanted within the catacombs. Jacked had asked why Pitch was doing that. Pitch simply replied, 'You have no power, you can not see, and I always know exactly where you are. What could you possibly do?' The sad thing was, Pitch was right.

Jack's powers were gone as long as his staff was broken and taken from him. He couldn't force his way out. Even if he could, he was  _blind_. He wouldn't be able to even find his way out. Alright, say by some miracle that he had his powers back and he knew the way out, then what? Pitch would just get to him again so long as he had that stupid collar on.

Jack slipped again due to his lack of focus and he yelled out in frustration. The catacombs were damp and never ending. He got lost multiple times, and would reluctantly ask Pitch to help him. It was strange. All Jack had to do was simply call Pitch's name and he would emerge from the shadows. Jack hated traveling through the shadows, it made him sick and he felt empty whenever they did it. Pitch though, Pitch had changed.

After blinding Jack, which he still had yet to figure out whether or not it was intentional, Pitch was very distant. At first it seemed like he was actually regretting what he had done. Regret turned to disdain. Pitch acted like he didn't even want to be in the same room as Jack. Disdain turned to anger. Unlike the others, this phase wasn't changing or going away anytime soon. If anything, it seemed like it was getting worse. Pitch always helped him nevertheless, although, last time Pitch yelled at him for 'being so blind.' He said nothing after that.

Jack wasn't going to call for Pitch, no matter how lost he became. He knew it was silly, but Jack wanted to prove Pitch wrong. He was never going to learn the layout of the catacombs if Pitch came to his rescue everytime he got lost. Besides, he already knew how to get to the kitchen, bathroom, library, and Pitch's chambers from his bedroom. Jack stopped in his walking and mental map making. He leaned his head against the stone walls.

Jack was thinking like this was his new home; talking aobut what he was going to do and how well he was doing, despite the circumstances. Now that he thought about it, Jack realized that his stay here--besides being blinded and stripped of his powers--wasn't that bad. He ate meals regularly and slept in a comfortable bed, and Pitch hadn't touched him since the 'accident.' That's what Jack called it. Plus, he was left to his own devices, so he did whatever he wanted.

Eventually, the wall that Jack was using as a guide ran out, whih meant that there was a turn in the hallway. It was strange, not being able to see anymore. Whenever he came into contact with something new, he relied on his other senses to picture it. The sensation was weird as well. Knowing something was there, but not being able to see it. Jack kept his eyes open out of force of habit, but only a little. When Jack asked Pitch, he had said that it looked like someone had drawn a thin black line over his eyes that contrasted to the dull blue his eyes had become. Jack didn't want anyone or anything knowing he was blind, so he covered the line with his eyeslides, only the bottom half of his eyes were actually visible.

Jack stopped when he heard deep breathing. Whatever it was, Jack was not alone, or safe for all he knew. But what could have been here in the catacombs? Jack gently and timidly reached out a hand into the hallway. For a moment, there was nothing; nothing moved, nothing made a sound, nothing spoke, nothing existed. Jack heard something move, but before he could turn back in fear, he felt something touch the palm of hand. It was rough, yet it felt like silf at the same time. Jack could feel it, the loneliness and darkness together in one emotion.

Then, it made a sound. Jack knew that sound. He's heard it in the background for the past 10 years, but never paid any attention to it. Oh, but he should have. The sound was a warning; of bad things to come, of despair, of emptyness... of agony and suffering. The last time Jack had heard it was at the workshop, sitting in the chair by the fireplace, knowing that bad things would come. Jack had every opportunity to prevent his situation with Pitch. If only he listened. Oh, but he did now and he would never stop.

Nightmares. The neigh of a nightmare, a scream of darkness to come. Perhaps the nightmares were trying to help Jack from the beginning, sending out alarms of Pitch. Nightmares are such tormented creatures, seeing the fear and darkness in everyone and everything. Now that Jack thought about it, plenty of bad things have happened to him in the past 300 years, but he only heard the horses when Pitch was involved. The nightmare had just called out, though. How ironic that Jack was just thinking about how it wasn't that bad with Pitch,

_'This is so nice, if only it could last forever...'_

Jack's eyes were completely open now. He didn't care what the nightmares thought anymore, they were his friend. Those words though, Jack knew those words. It hit him. Those where the words he was thinking when he last heard the nightmares' call at the workshop. Jack would have fallen if he wasn't being held up by the wall and the horse. Yes, that proved it. The worst of Pitch's plan had yet to come.

Jack was interupted during his thoughts by the nightmare. He felt her head resting against his back and her neck over his shoulder. The nightmare was covering him, as if trying to sheild him from the pain to come. Jack shakily removed his hand from the wall and wrapped both of his arms around her, trying to comfort him as well. After a few minutes he pulled away. Jack couldn't take anymore dark thoughts. He stepped and scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. Jack took a small bow.

"Sorry miss, but I seem to have gotten lost. Would you mind to show me back to my room?" Jack heard the nightmare move to stand behind him. He raised a hand and placed it on the nightmare's neck, following and using her as a guide as she walked, navigating them through the never ending hallways and corridors. Jack trusted her to be his eyes, and his trust was not misplaced. Even though worse was coming, the now was pretty peaceful.

The two decided to take a detour, walking around and finding different rooms to explore. The nightmare showed him how to get where, which Jack found quite helpful. Jack quickly discovered that the nightmares were actually very good company. The two had come across other nightmares along the way, each one stopping for a moment before continuing on. Jack's other senses have only increased since the loss of his sight so he could hear how many stopped and when. He could smell and taste their exhailed breaths while feeling them all the same.

They made their last stop, Jack's room. He opened the door and walked inside. Jack turned to say goodbye, but instead crippled  to the floor in pain. He didn't understand it, his wounds had healed already. It felt strange as well, the pain. It was coursing through him as if it was his own blood that ached. Jack's body fell limp to the floor, unconscious. 

When Jack awoke next he knew he wasn't in his room. it was colder where he was now. Although, Jack could tell he was laying on a bed of some sort because of how comfortable he felt despite the dulled pain he felt. He felt the bed dip from added weight of someone joining him. Jack knew it was Pitch. He also knew Pitch was smiling.

"Oh Jack, just look at you. If I had known this was what would happen, I would have done it a lot sooner." Jack frowned.

"What are you talking about? What did you do to me?"

"There was a reason for why I've stabbed you, other than for my enjoyment of course..."

"What do you mean?"

Pitch continued, "When I shot Sandman with my arrow, you saw for yourself how he turned into nightmare sand. Jack... I'm trying to make you the nightmare prince. That's why you were in so much pain earlier, your body was changing." Pitch slid his hand down Jack's side.

"If only you could see how breathtaking you look. There's patterns of black frost all over your skin and your blue eyes now have black swirling through them. Quite beautiful..." Pitch's voice trailed off as he leaned down, he couldn't control himself anymore. He placed his lips on the side of Jack's neck, nibbling and sucking the sensitive skin. Jack gasped and pushed on Pitch's chest to push him away, but in his weak and blind state it did him no good.

"Pitch, what are you doing? Stop, this isn't right!" Pitch ignored Jack's plea and continued, slipping a hand under Jack's hoodie. Jack continued to squirm. He hated the feeling of Pitch's hand and mouth on him. They left a trail of what felt like burned skin behind them. Pitch's mouth moved lower after he removed Jack's hoodie and undershirt, of course with difficulty, thanks to Jack. Jack shut his eyes and gasped as Pitch licked his collar bone before moving towards the rim of his pants. The young spirit shoved Pitch off of him and scrambled out of the bed, hoping he was going in the direction of the door.

Jack stumbled and fell on the covers of the bed that he couldn't see. He blindly crawled on all fours, hoping he was getting away from Pitch. The guardian didn't make it very far before Pitch got to him. Pitch climbed ontop of the boy, pushing his stomach to the floor. He latched onto the shell of Jack's ear, nibbling on it until it turned pink. He breathed down the boy's neck, smirking when he felt him shiver under him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Pitch nuzzled the crook of Jack's neck and shoulder taking a deep breath. He wrapped his arms around the guardian's waist, holding him close. If Jack didn't know any better, he would have thought that Pitch was trying to cuddle him. Of course, Jack did know better. Using the sense of calm to his advantage, he tried to pull out of Pitch's grip. Unfortunately, his grip was too tight. Pitch frowned, obviously upset that Jack was still refusing him. He would show him!

Pitch slid one of his hands up Jack's bare chest to play with the boy's nipples while his other hand slipped into Jack's trousers. Jack gasped and curled in on himself as tears sprung into his eyes. Why was Pitch doing this? Even when Pitch was torturing him, Jack never thought he could ever go this far. It was wrong. Jack felt soiled as Pitch pleasured him. He felt used, spoiled, and what made it worse was that his body was responding to Pitch although he was far from aroused. It seemed as though his own body was betraying him. Jack could practically feel Pitch smiled.

"Oh Jack, what a naughty boy you are. You said you didn't want this... such a liar." Pitch continued and Jack continued to weep. There was a loud bang just outside the door. The nightmare king growled and sat up, pulling his hands off of Jack, but straddling the back of Jack's waist in the process. The door busted open and Jack heard someone call his name. His heart swelled with happiness. He knew that voice.

"Bunny!"


	8. Chapter 8

"Bunny!" Bunnymund couldn't believe what he was seeing. After coming up with a rough plan of action, Bunny, North, Tooth, Sandy, and Jamie left to go get Jack. In order to get into the catacombs, they had to blow up the ground to make an opening. They were prepared for an all out war. The fortress was full of nightmares, but none of them attacked. Something was up, that was certain. In fact, one of them led Bunny to Jack while the others searched for Pitch. Bunny had opened the door, prepared for the worst.

Pitch was sitting on top of a shirtless, panting Jack who, was also crying. Bunny called out to him, and he could tell that Jack was happy to see him. Jack wouldn't look at Bunny though. He would keep his head down, looking at the ground, his eyes half closed. Perhaps he was embarrassed for being caught in such a state? Bunny knew he would be too if their places where reversed. He couldn't help but growl at Pitch, who was grinning ear to ear.

"Hello Bunny. Are you looking for Jack? Well, as you can see we're a bit busy. What about you Jack, what can you see?" Jack frowned. _  
_

"What can I _see_? Nothing thanks to you! Jack was fed up: fed up with being weak, fed up with Pitch, and fed up with being Blind! He rolled onto his side, knocking Pitch off of him and stood up. He took a moment to calm down.

"Um... Bunny... Could you get my hoodie?" Bunny used his egg bombs to distract Pitch while he grabbed Jack's hoodie and Jack himself. He grabbed Jack's hand as they ran to the exit. Bunny was worried because Jack kept tripping and running into things.

"You alright Frostbite?" Jack didn't know what to say. Of course he could tell he was running into things and tripping, but he was doing the best he could with what he had. Jack didn't want Bunny or any of the other guardians to know that he was blind. He didn't want them to know how weak he was for not being able to protect himself and for him not being able to see. Jack knew it was irrational, but he couldn't help it.

"I haven't ran in three weeks, of course I'm having trouble." He lied. Bunny was skeptical, but he didn't push it.

"Okay mate." Bunny was more worried about the black marks he was on Jack's body earlier. They were small and only on his hands and wrists, they were very troubling. The two met up with the others that were waiting for them in the sleigh.

"Pitch isn't far behind us mates, we've got to go." North nodded and grabbed the reins. Bunny helped Jack into the back of the sleigh. Jack could sense another person on the sleigh that wasn't a spirit. He couldn't see, but he was almost positive it was Jamie. Who else could it be?

"Jamie, why are you here?" Jamie embraced Jack as North took off, squeezing him tight in his arms.

"Are you serious? I was there when Pitch took you, I had to make sure you were okay.... You are okay, right?"

"I'm fine." Jack was far from fine. He had almost forgotten that Jamie was there when Pitch took him. Everyone frowned, it was obvious that Jack was not fine; he was shaking, bent forward, eyes half closed. They decided not to push it.  _It_  could wait until they were safely at the pole. The rest of the ride was silent.

Jack curled in on himself, trying to appear as small as possible so they would not pay attention. It worked for the most part, but he did not expect Bunny to wrap his arms around him. Perhaps it was because he didn't have a shirt on and it was night, at least Jack thought it was. Bunny himself was worried even more now. He could feel Jack shivering against his fur. He normally wouldn't worry about it since it was almost February, however it was Jack who was shivering. Jack  _Frost_ was shivering. He didn't get cold, he froze other people. Bunny handed Jack his hoddie and helped him put it on.

The North Pole was quiet. It was a vast difference from the last time they brought Jack to the pole after Pitch was involved. Jack didn't know what to do. He didn't know the pole very well, and he couldn't see. He also didn't have his powers, so he couldn't fly or rely on the wind to show him the way. He couldn't think. Jack need to ask for help. How he would, he didn't know.

"Bunny, could you show me to my room? I don't remember where it is... it's been a while..." If Bunny led the way, then Jack could listen to his footsteps and help guide him. Bunny nodded and helped Jack out of the sleigh, holding his hand so he wouldn't slip. He turned to walk to Jack's room, but he wasn't expecting Jack to keep a hold of his hand.

"Frostbite, you alright?" Jack could feel his cheeks heat up from embarrassment.

"I'm sorry... it's just that I'm a little jumpy from being with Pitch." Jack tried to pull his hand from Bunny's, but Bunny had a firm grip.

"It's fine-I mean, it's okay, I'm not mad, I just... yeah..." Jack smiled. A real smile. He could almost see a flabbergasted Bunny looking for the right words with a blush on his whiskers. Jack's smile was contagious and Bunny found himself doing the same. They passed through the halls, Bunny unknowingly guiding Jack through his eternal twilight. The guardian of Easter tried to find something to say. It had been three weeks since Bunny last saw Jack, and he had been with Pitch the whole time. Surely after trying so desperately to find him, he would have something to say, without triggering anything. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, trying to find something to say. Jack beat him to it.

"You want to ask me about what happened, don't you?" They turned a corner.

"Well, yeah. You don't have to tell me everything right now, that can wait. I just want to know why Pitch was on top of you and you were...crying." Jack thought a moment about how to respond. He didn't want Bunny to know what really happened, he would be so ashamed, but he didn't want to lie either.

"Pitch tried to hurt me, so I ran, but he got to me before I could get away. He sat on me so I couldn't get away again and I was so upset and frustrated that I started to cry." Bunny grimaced. He would kill Pitch, even if it was the last thing he did. Bunny could understand that Pitch would be upset because he lost, but he should've been strong enough and accepted his defeat like the 5,000 year old spirit he was.

"I'm sorry Frostbite. Those three weeks must've been brutal. We should've gotten there sooner."

"Don't worry about it. I was only awake for one week, so it wasn't that bad." Bunny sighed. At least one good thing came out of the ordeal, and it looked like Jack was healed too.

"That's good. Alright, here we are. The bed's made up and if you need anything, just yell, someone will always be nearby. If you're ready to sleep, I can go get Sandy for you." Jack shook his head.

"No, it's fine." Jack had to avoid Sandy as much as possible, even if it meant bad dreams. Sandy used dreamsand to talk, and Jack wouldn't be able to see it if they were alone. The sandman would definitely know something was wrong immediately, and Jack didn't want that. Bunny simply nodded and left. Jack waited until he heard the pooka's footsteps disappear before fumbling around for the doorknob he couldn't see. He managed to open the door and make it to his bed without falling. He drifted off to sleep.

 Jack had no idea what time it was when he woke up. He assumed that the faint amount of warmth he felt from sunlight meant that it was early in the morning. Jack slowly sat up and stretched. If the other guardians were still asleep, then he could use this time to map out his room and perhaps a small amount of the workshop.

He fumbled for the door, thinking it would be easier to start at the entrance and work his way inside. Jack stood with his back to the door, then began to trace the outline of the room, keeping this hand to the wall and trying to walk around or on the furniture. The room was rectangular, roughly 20 steps by 30. It was the best measurement he could use at his disposal.

After Jack did that, he began to take inventory of the furniture and obstacles he could trip or fall on. Then he counted the steps in between and practiced walking the important paths of the room: bed to door, door to bed, door to chair, chair to bed, and how to get to the window. Jack may not be able to see, but he still liked picturing how the newly fallen snow reflected sunlight. He also liked to lay his head against the cold glass. The whole process took about two hours, but to Jack felt like 30 minutes.

Once he felt he was confident with his room, he tentatively stepped out into the hallway. It occurred to him that it would be just as difficult to map the workshop as it would the catacombs. The place was huge! Then to make matters worse, the pole was full of yeti and other guardians. He heard a yeti pass by.

"Hey, would you mind giving me tour? I'm a little confused since I haven't been here in a while." The yeti nodded. She showed him how to get to the kitchen, bathrooms, lounge, the other guardians' rooms, and the workroom where they made the toys. Jack would ask her to wait a minute while he walked back and forth from place to place. If she was curious, she didn't say anything. He could tell she was a mother, so perhaps she only cared that he didn't get lost or hurt, the rest was unimportant. Jack did make sure that they were quiet when they walked by the guardians' rooms. The last thing he needed was for the guardians to ask him was he was doing. He didn't have an excuse this time.

He was confused, though, as to where they were. Surely they would've been up by now. He had been awake for almost 6 hours. Jack asked the yeti where they were and she said that North was in his office working, Sandy was giving out dreams, Tooth was collecting teeth, and Bunny was at the warren preparing for Easter. Jack felt ashamed. Of course the other guardians weren't here, they had jobs to do. The children came before him, and it was selfish of him to think any different. He wasn't the center of the universe. Jack promised himself himself he would do better. He thought of ways he could, and remembered something he couldn't believe he'd forgot.

The other guardians had his staff. If he got his staff and was able to fix it, then he could protect himself. The other guardians could stop thinking about him and focus on the their work. Also, Jack was already healed after what happened, and if he was away from the guardians then they wouldn't notice he was blind. In the back of Jack's mind, he remembered what Pitch had said about him becoming the nightmare prince and he was a bit worried about it. He was fine now though, so he would cross that bridge when he got there. Now, back to his plan. It sounded nice enough, but he needed to find his staff first. Jack turned to face the yeti.

"Do you know where my staff is?" The yeti was reluctant to answer. She knew that Jack wanted to try and fix it, his face was an open book. She was worried that it wouldn't work so soon and he would be devastated because of it. Although, if he never tried, then it would never get fixed. The yeti told him to wait while she went and retrieved it. Jack stayed where he was told and waited. She returned a few minutes later with a bundle of cloth in her hand. She gave it to Jack. He quickly went to his room, sprinting down the hallways he had committed to memory.

Jack moved to his bed and sat on it, crossed-legged. He laid the bundle down in front of him. With gentle hands he unraveled the cloth and listened as he heard the pieces rattle together. Jack grasped his broken staff and felt a jolt go through him. It recognized him and was telling him his power was still there, left for the taking. With shaking arms he held both pieces together. He took a deep breath and put all of his strength into the wood. Jack waited.

Nothing happened.

He tried again and again, but still no luck. Instead of getting frustrated, he simply sighed and wrapped them back up and stashed them under the bed. Jack had a feeling it wouldn't work, so disappointment wasn't surprising. Perhaps his magic did not think he was ready yet. To be honest, Jack didn't think he was ready either, he just wanted to try. He flopped back onto the bed and closed his eyes before hearing the door open.

"Hey Frostbit, how ya' doing?" Jack sighed.

"I'm fine Bunny. A little tired, but fine. What are you doing here? I thought you were at the warren?"

"I was, but the egg golems had it covered, so I let them take over while I came in and checked on ya'... and maybe you answer a question for me." Jack raised and eyebrow.

"And that it?" Bunny took a moment to answer.

"Do you know how Pitch found you? While you were at Jamie's house, I mean." Jack sat up and faced Bunny.

"You haven't seen it yet?" Bunny frowned.

"Seen what, mate?" Jack pulled down the neck of his hoodie so that Bunny could see the collar around his neck.

"What is that?"

"It's a collar made of nightmare sand. Pitch said he would use it to find me when he was ready for more. He said it also gave me nightmares that Sandy couldn't get rid of.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"When I woke up after he put it on, I didn't remember what happened. By the time I did remember, I was already with Pitch and it didn't matter. It did try taking it off though, but nothing happened, it wouldn't budge."

"Do you think dreamsand will get rid of it?" Jack shrugged.

"I don't know, but it's worth trying. Pitch will always be able to find me if we don't and I'll never be safe."

"Alright Frostbite, I'll go get Sandy using the northern lights. Stay here and try to rest, we don't know what will happen." Jack nodded. He listened as Bunny left and sighed. Bunny returned an hour later with North's pounding footsteps, Tooth's flapping wings, and Sandy's flowing dreamsand. Bunny had already explained what he had told him. Jack closed his eyes and laid back when he felt Sandy get close.

The sandman flowed dreamsand into the collar, changing the black to gold. Jack could feel the collar around his neck pulsating and changing. He couldn't help but smile. The collar was one of the things Suddenly the sand dissipated and Jack could feel the pressure leave his throat. He grinned from ear to ear and he knew everyone else did too. As the dreamsand flowed back to Sandy, some grazed the side of Jack's wrist. He hissed in pain when the dreamsand burned his flesh. Why did it burn?


	9. Chapter 9

"Jack, the other guardians and I believe that it would be a good idea for you if we moved you to another spot until you can get your staff fixed." Jack shrugged. After they got the collar off of him, they let him go to sleep nightmare-free for the first time in a while. Jack woke up more rested than he had ever been. He was still puzzled as to why Sandy's dreamsand burned him the night before. Although, he had a pretty good idea that it was because he had nightmare sand inside of him, at least, according to Pitch.

"Sure, that's fine. Where?"

"For safety measures, we think it's best if we don't tell you. Come, follow me." Jack jumped off the bed and did as he was told. North's footsteps were not hard to follow. They were loud and proud. Jack could almost hear them say, 'look at me! I'm proud of myself and wish to show the world!' The young guardian laughed out of nowhere and North looked at him, bewildered.

"Jack, my boy, are you alright?

"Yeah," he took a breath, "I just thought of something funny." North smiled.

"Would you care to share?" 

Jack shook his head, "No, no, it's fine. You wouldn't get it anyways."

North stopped and turned to face Jack. "I am Santa Claus, I understand everything!" 

"No, it's fine, really." Jack tried to walk around North, but he held out his arm to stop the boy. "Jack is not allowed to leave until he tells North what is funny."

"Are you serious? Ugh, fine. I was just thinking how your footsteps are very loud."

"My footsteps?"

"See! I told you, you wouldn't get it." North moved out of Jack's way and scratched his beard.

"Hmm, I suppose you were right..." Jack laughed again. He walked past North. The giant of a man followed behind him. The rest of the walk was comfortable, lasting a good 7 minutes. They reached the sleigh-room. Jack was surprised to find that the room was free of yeti and elves. He was happy though, that meant he couldn't walk into things he couldn't see. Jack let North go first, listening to the sound of his footsteps for him to follow. He gently felt around the side of the sleigh, searching for the back seat. His hand dipped into velvet-covered seats. He slid into the seat.

Jack gripped the side of the sleigh tightly. This would be his first time flying while blind. Well, he flew once when the guardians and Jamie rescued him from Pitch, but he was too distracted at the time to focus. Jack's thoughts were interrupted by North.

"Alright, Jack, my boy, let's go. Better hang on tight!" North cracked the reins, causing the reindeer to take off. They jerked, bumped, and tugged through the frozen tunnel. It was a relief when they reached open air. Jack relaxed back into the seat, listening to the sounds of the reindeer and North's deep breathing. The fresh air was welcome to Jack after spending so long underground and in the workshop. His spirit wasn't used to captivity of any sort, he craved mishceif and freedom. The sleigh ride was rather long, North had decided not to use a portal for this trip. He knew that Jack would like the fresh air. They finally arrived at their destination. Jack jumped out of the sleigh, followed by North.

"Why does it smell like mint?" Jack asked North.

Well, we wanted it to feel like an actual home, so we lit some peppermint candles for you."

"Oh, I see. Thank you..." North patted Jack on the back, nearly knocking him over.

"Of course Jack, of course! It is a small thing to do for family. Oh my, look at the time! I must get back before the elves eat the reindeer food again. Bye Jack, I will come back later." North enveloped Jack in a bone crushing hug before leaving out the door. Jack found himself truly alone for the first time in weeks. The first thing he had to do was map out his new home. From the smell of pine, it was obvious that he was in the middle of a forest or wood, and if he was quiet enough, he could hear the faint call of birds.

Jack began to explore his new home. He vaguely created a map with the little amount of information he had. The house had two stories, but was on the small side. The first floor had a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and small dining room. The second floor only had two bedrooms. Jack didn't dare try leaving the house, the last thing he needed was to be blind  _and_ lost in a forest. Of course, Jack needed something to do, other than mapping out out the house. Jack, being the guardian of fun, knew exactly what to do.

Thus, the blind dish was born! Although, Jack didn't really think about the possible consequences of his new hobbie. The spirit walked into the kitchen and decided to cook a dish. Now, Jack wasn't a very good cook to begin with, and now that he was blind... well, you can guess. He had turned on the stove, grabbing random ingredients and poured them into a pan. When he was done cooking, he turned off the stove and attempted to pour the food on a plate. Jack took the plate into the dining room and sat down. He took a bite.

Jack weiged the taste of his creation for a moment before spitting it back on the plate. He had somehow managed to mix olive oil, baking chocolate, spaghetti noodles, horse radish, pickle juice, and mustard-soaked sardines into one dish. It wasn't burnt though, surprisingly. Jack took his dish outside the window and dumped it before returning the dish to the sink. He still had a few hours at least before he would get sleepy, so Jack got back to his original idea; mapping out the house.

Jack was in the middle of mapping the second floor when he heard knocking on the door. He carefully went down the stairs, trying not to make too much noise. Jack slowly opened the door and stuck his head outside. The smell of chocolate filled his nose, causing Jack to smile. He would know that smell anywhere. 

"Bunny! What are you doing here?"Jack moved out of the way so that Bunny could come in.

"Well, the other guardians and I were talking, and we made a decision. We thought that you could get lonely here by yourself, so I've come to stay with you."

"What about Easter, it's a couple of months from now, isn't it?" Jack asked.

"I'll go back during Easter, but I'll come back after." Bunny anwered. He walked in and sat down in the living room. Jack joined him, sitting on the couch across from him.

"So ankle-biter, what do you want to do?"

~~~

North switched the lever, causing a part of the workshop to open up, allowing the moonbreams to fill the room.

"Please moon, you must help us get rid of Pitch. Not only is he harming the children, but he also attacked the youngest guardian without mercy. Please, help us get rid of him." North pleaded to the moon. A gentle, but firm voice answered him inside of his head.

_'I can not, North.'_

"Why not?"

_"The world needs Pitch. You can not have light without darkness, hope without dread, memories without forgetfulness, wonder without skepticism, fun without responsibility, and dreams without nightmares. The children must face harships from time to time so that they are prepared for the world of adulthood. Now, that does not excuse Pitch for his actions towards Jack. If you find a way to supply the children of the world with nightmares, then I will aid you in disposing of Pitch Black.'_

_~~~_

Jack and Bunny had done a few things, although none of them lasted very long. It was difficult for Jack to keep up with Bunny without giving away that he was blind. They were sitting in the living room again, just relaxing. Bunny had been reading a book, but he had sat it down in favor of looking at his healing companion. Jack was laying back in an armchair, wearing only his brown pants ad white undershirt. His hair was tousled and his clothes rumpled. Bunny noticed that he was breathing rather quickly. If Bunny didn't know any better, that was, but he did, and he could tell that Jack was panting. Bunny jumped from his chair and knelt in front of Jack's.

"Frostbite, what's wrong?" Bunny cupped Jack's face with his hand and tilted it so that he could see it better. He noticed that Jack's eyes were distant, as if Jack was lost in thoguht. At frst he thought nothing of it, until he saw that Jack's eyes were slowly turning black. He gently shook Jack's shoulders. "Frostbite!"

"Bunny... it hurts..." Jack managed to get out. Bunny worriedly looked at his friend, but found nothing wrong with him, physically at least.

"What's hurts? What's wrong, mate??"

"Everything hurts... Bunny! Make it stop!" Bunny was downright terrified. Jack was practically screaming in pain, and he couldn't do anything to help. Hell, Bunny didn't even know what was wrong. Bunny's gaze wandered back to Jack's darkening eyes. The only thing that he, E. Aster Bunnymund, could do, was make his friend more comfortable.

Bunny slipped his hands behing Jack's neck and knees. With a quiet grunt he picked up the sprite and carried him up the staircase to his room. The guardian of hope laid the boy down in the latter's bed, frowning when he saw Jack curl in on himself. There was a thin layer of sweat on the boy's forehead and he had his eyes screwed shut. Bunny rubbed soothing circles on Jack's back, hoping to relieve some of the pain in some way. The pooka thought of possible causes for the sudden pain and eye color change, but came up with nothing. There must've been something magically wrong with the boy to cause those kind of symptoms. They were stranded without help until North returned later that night. Over the course of a couple hours, Jack finally managed to come down and Bunny took the oppotunity to talk to him.

"Oi, Frostbite, what happened, mate?" Jack shifted in the bed until he was facing Bunny.

"I don't know Bunny, I was just sitting there when my chest started to burn, then the rest of me, and then everything was hurting. It still is a bit, but not nearly as much." Bunny's gaze lowered to Jack's chest. What was wrong with him? Why did Jack start huting there instead of somewhere else? Bunny looked back up, noticing that Jack's were almost completely black now. They were still glazed over, even though he was coherent. That, Bunny decided, was a problem. "Jack... what's wrong with your eyes?"

Jack's hands went to cover his eyes. He couldn't tell Bunny the truth. The guardians already thought he was young, naive, and weak. He didn't want to add 'disabled' onto that list. But this was Bunny. Bunny was different from the others, he could trust Bunny. Sure, he and Bunny fought a lot, but that's how they showed their friendship. Was their relationship something more than freindhsip?

When Bunny carried him to his bed, his hold was gentle and loving. Back in the catacombs, when Bunny had busted into the room, Jack could practically feel the anger rolling off him in waves. Bunny was the one who helped him when he woke up in the workshop, confused and scared. Hell, Bunny was the one who gave up his time to stay with Jack. Yes, their friendship was something more, and yes, he could tell Bunny about his eyes.

"Bunny? There's something I want to tell you... I'm... blind." Jack waited for a response, but when he got none, he continued. "Pitch did it after he took me. I don't think he meant to do it on purpose, he just wasn't paying attention, of course, that doesn't mean I forgive him or anything, but-"

"Why? Jack? Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you tell  _me_?" Jack was silent. " _Why_ Jack?"

"Because... because I didn't want you guys to think any less of me. I know that I'm still young, that I mess up a lot, and that a lot of the time I'm just a burden on you guys. I didn't want to cause you any more trouble. The whole things was my fault, I mean, if I hadn't been so careless, I-" Jack was cut off by Bunny once again. The pooka had wrapped his arms around the youngest guardian, almost crushing his beloved with his brute strength.

"Don't you ever, and I mean  _ever,_ think that you are a burden to us. You mean more to us than you will ever know. Before you came along, us guardians hardly ever spoke to each other more than what was necessary. You're the one who brought us together as a family. I can't even imagine what we, what  _I_ would do if we lost you."


	10. Chapter 10

North didn't return until the next morning, he said that he was busy with something. Throughout the night, the pain had returned to Jack. Thankfully, it was bearable, unlike before. North was surprised when he had come to check up on them. He was expecting Jack to be asleep, Bunny as well. What he didn't expect, was to see Jack laying awake in his bed propped up with pillows and Bunny sitting beside the bed watching over the sprite. Both of them had bags under their eyes, their exhaustion showing. As North moved closer, he noticed that Jack was actually sleeping.

"Bunny, what is going on? You both look like Phil after Jack visits." North asked his old friend.

Bunny sighed, "It was a long night, mate. We have to take Jack back to the pole."

"Why we do that?"

"Something's wrong. He's been in pain since last night. Like _bad_ pain. He's told me some possible causes, but none of them make sense. I think magic is playing a part in this. He finally went to sleep about an hour ago. I would've gone to the pole if I had any idea where we are, the scent is too distorted here. We should take him now, but he just got to sleep and I don't want to wake him up... I'll just carry him. Get the sleigh ready, mate. " North simply nodded and left the room. He would talk to Bunny more later. Bunny pulled back Jack's covers and slipped his paw's underneath the sleeping boy. He gently picked Jack up. Jack was thinner than Bunny thought. Bunny didn't really pay attention when he had picked the boy up last night, he was more focused on making him comfortable then how heavy he was. Bunny carefully maneuvered himself and Jack down the stairs and out the door. Jack was shifted into the back of the sleigh as Bunny got in the front and North took off.

Bunny had spent the time Jack was sleeping thinking about what they had talked about the night before. He wasn't upset about Jack being blind, Jack couldn't do anything about it and it wasn't his fault that he couldn't see. What did upset him, was that Jack didn't tell him. Or anyone for that matter! Did Jack really not trust the other guardians that much? Did Jack not trust _him_ that much??

They pulled into the workshop. It wasn't rushed, in fact it was rather calm because North didn't want attention to be drawn to them leaving or entering the pole at all. The last thing that they wanted was for Pith to notice that they were moving around a lot. Bunny carried Jack to a room. He headed to the hospital wing, but thought better of it was turned towards the guest wing.

Occasionally, a stray spirit would pass by in need of nourishment and a place to stay for a few nights. That's what Jack needed right now, not a stuffy sterilized room with yeti constantly checking up on him. Bunny placed him in the room closest to the common room so that he would be able to get there easily, despite not being able to see.

Bunny's grip on Jack tightened. It would be a while before he would be able to accept the fact that Jack was blind... What was he thinking? It would be a while before _he_ would be able to handle it? Jack was the one who was blind, not him. Bunny paused and loosened his grip on Jack when he felt the boy squirm in his grip. Bunny laid him down in the bed and covered him up. Looking around the room, Bunny made note to ask North if they could change it up a bit. There was nothing wrong with it, it was just a bit plain. Bunny knew that Jack would go crazy in such a normal and un-entertaining room. The pooka was brought out of his thoughts by the other guardians walking into the room.

"We need to find out what's wrong with him, Bunny. We need to wake him up." North said, his voice gentle and cautious. North had spoken to the others about Jack while Bunny took him to a room. "Bunny, I know you don't want him to, but you'll never be able to help him if we don't know what's wrong." North continued.

Tooth flew over to Bunny slowly. She placed her hand on his shoulder, but he didn't turn to face her, "Bunny," she began, "we know." Bunny froze.

"And it's okay. We still love you both. We care about him too, which is why we have to find out what's wrong with him. We know he's in pain right now and he's sleep deprived, but he'll only get worse if we don't help him." The tension in Bunny's shoulders that had been there since Pitch's attack finally left him. The other guardians were aware of his feelings for Jack, and they were okay with it! There's always a fear when harboring feelings for another of the same gender. A fear that others, even those that you trust beyond reason, would reject you. Would throw you out of their lives as if you were nothing more than the Sunday garbage. But sometimes, you're surprised. Surprised that they won't throw you out. Surprised that they are okay with it. Surprised that they want to help. And just maybe, surprised that they have feelings for the same gender too. *

Bunny moved out of the way so that the other guardians, namely North and Sandy, could get to Jack. Being the one that had spent the night with Jack while he was in pain, Bunny knew how much Jack needed sleep. The other guardians, were right, however, Jack would only continue to get worse unless they helped him as soon as possible. The cause behind Jack's ailment was magic, he could easily tell that. The pooka was 99.9% sure it had something to do with Pitch. Under any other circumstances, Bunny might have thought that Jack caught a stray spell or a loose piece of magic from another spirit, it wasn't unheard of. But with everything that's happened, there's no way it could've been a coincidence.

Sandy floated next to Jack's bed. He leaned over and gently nudged Jack awake. It took a few tries, but Jack's eyes finally began to open. His face contorted in pain for a moment, but it quickly left him. Jack shifted a bit in his bed. He was quiet. He slowly sat up, keeping his eyes on the blanket. His brow was scrunched and his mouth turned into a frown. Bunny knew why. Jack couldn't see! The guardians were very quiet, and for all Bunny knew, Jack didn't even know they were there!

"Guys, what's going on?" Jack _did_ know they were there. He could tell he was in a different bed too. This one was softer than the one in the cabin. It was warmer here as well. So Jack definitely knew he was in a different place. He could hear the others' breathing, he could feel the silent and warm hum of their magic. It was comforting and soothing. Jack could close his eyes and feel safe and sound.

"Jack," North paused, struggling to find a way to put his thoughts into words, "we need to know what's going on. Whatever you're not telling us it's literally killing you. We know it has to do with magic, and most likely Pitch had something to do with it." Jack's breath caught in his throat. He wasn't ready. What would the guardians think if he told them he had nightmare sand coursing through him? Upset? Betrayed? _Disgusted?_ Jack felt Bunny's soft and furry paw squeeze his shoulder. He calmed down. If he could survive a month alone with Pitch, then he could tell the guardians about this.

And tell he did.

Jack explained everything from Pitch's first attack to them rescuing him. Once he started he couldn't hold back. He told them how scared he was, how helpless he felt, how he still struggled to grip the fact that he was blind. Along the way tears had found their way out of his eyes and Bunny had crawled into the bed with him and cradled him as he wept. The other guardians had remained silent as he spoke, absorbing everything the could. When Jack finished, he was a blubbering mess. It reminded the guardians how young he still was. North, Sandy, and Tooth joined Bunny and Jack in the large bed. Everyone embraced Jack, whispering calming words and reassurances into his ears until he calmed down. Eventually, Jack found peace and comfort in his friends', no, his family's arms. Sleep came easy.

-ooOoo-

"So what do we do?" Tooth asked the others. They were sitting in the workshop's common room. They found themselves doing it quite often as of late. Tooth had let her baby fairies take care of the teeth while she was away. They understood, and although Tooth felt guilty, she knew that she was needed with Jack. Sandy found difficulty keeping up with sending dreams and being with Jack, so he would take small breaks to catch up and send out more sand periodically. The other guardians understood.

"Isn't it obvious?" Bunny exclaimed from his position on the armchair, "we find a way to get the nightmare sand out of him!"

North's eyes widened, "Maybe not..."

Bunny jumped from his chair and walked up to North. "What do you mean, 'maybe not?' We're not leaving him like this. You said it yourself, he's dying. _Dying._ Now's not the time to be second guessing things!"

"That's not what I meant!" North shouted back, "You know I want to help him more than anything, he's like a son to me!" He took a breath to calm himself. "Listen to what I have to say. I've been speaking with Man in Moon, asking for help with Pitch. He said he would help us, but the world still needs him in order to keep it's balance. Perhaps, if we helped Jack, helped him nurture the nightmare inside of him, then we can get rid of Pitch for good. Jack would be safe, and we wouldn't have to worry that nightmare will outweigh the good. It'll work out for everyone-"

"Except for Pitch." Bunny finished. The pooka had to admit, North had a point. It still felt wrong, especially because they were talking about it without Jack. "I see your point, but we need to ask Jack what he thinks first."

Tooth flew up to him, "Yes Bunny, we do. Just like you need to tell him how you feel." Sandy and North nodded, agreeing with Tooth. A picture of Bunny and Jack inside a heart appeared over the sandman's head. Bunny blushed through his fur.

-ooOoo-

He drifted in and out of sleep. It was quiet and he was comfortable. Eventually, Jack couldn't fall back asleep, so he listened to his surroundings. He was happy to find that he hadn't left the workshop and was still in his room that he had been in before he fell asleep. He could sense Bunny next to his bedside and he smiled. "Bunny." His throat was sore from crying the night before and his voice hoarse.

"Jack... we need to talk." Bunny said. Jack responded, "About what?"

"The other guardians and I have been talking, and we think it would be best if we left the sand inside of you alone." Jack was quiet, so Bunny continued, "If you found a way to use it, then we could get rid of Pitch without worrying about disrupting the balance of light and dark. You'd be safe and stronger. You'd control both snow and darkness." Bunny explained, repeating the guardians' conversation from earlier.

"Why would I want to control darkness? It's evil and cruel... just look what it did to me!" Bunny could hear the distress in Jack's voice. The fear.

"Jack, darkness isn't just evil. Sometimes people need darkness to nudge them in the right direction, to make the good memories, hope, and wonder all the more special. Darkness can show children what would happen if they chose the wrong path, make them see why light is what they need. The sun provides energy and warmth while the moon provides guidance and wisdom. You can't one without the other, that's not how the world works. Pitch uses it in the wrong way, for selfish and evil purposes." Jack fiddled with the edge of his blanket.

"I understand... I think. It's just... what if I turn out like Pitch? What if I can't control myself? I don't want to hurt people!"

"You won't." Bunny tried to reassure him.

"How do you know that? What makes you so sure?"

"Because I know you, Frostbite. I wouldn't love you if I didn't." Bunny leaned over the bed and sealed Jack's lips with his own. It took a moment for Jack to register what was happening. Bunny loved him? Jack's heart swelled with a warmth that he hadn't felt in months. He smiled and gently began to return Bunny's kiss. A small part of his mind questioned what he was doing, telling him that he should've been talking with Bunny about it instead of kissing him. The sprite pushed those thoughts to the back of his head. They paused to take a breath, but were back on each other as soon as they had enough oxygen. Jack couldn't help but giggle into the kiss when Bunny's whiskers tickled his cheeks.


	11. Chapter 11

Things were finally looking up for Jack, and he was very grateful for it. It had been a couple weeks since Bunny's confession and although it had been awkward at first, they were pushing through it. There had been and ungodly amount of teasing from the other guardians, but that's what family's for, right? To be honest, Jack himself felt like a love sick teenager and he knew Bunny was no better.  They couldn't take their eyes -or their hands- off each other. The two still hadn't made it past giving each other loves bites because Jack's health was still less than perfect and Pitch still invaded his mind whenever Bunny  grabbed the hem of his hoodie. Jack found it ironic that they were together considering they were the spirits of opposite seasons. They could make it work.

Jack had settled into a routine, something he was glad for since his life had become so hectic. He would get up fairly early, for him anyway, and go help the yeti make toys. At first Phil wouldn't let him, mostly because they thought Jack would just make more work for them, but also because they didn't want him to overexert himself. Phil did care about the youngest, despite all the trouble he caused. Jack just had that affect on people. After helping the yeti, Jack stop for a small lunch. Most of the time it was a thin soup or some kind of fruit. Then he would take a short nap and try to map out the rest of the pole. Bunny would come and visit Jack some time during the time then leave a couple of hours later. Jamie had even visited a few times with help from North.

His previous pain had dulled to a slight burning sensation that never ended, similar to an intense fever, but without the deliriousness.  It was much more manageable. Jack was content with just that, even if never went away. Tooth and Sandy left in order to perform their guardian duties, Jack could tell that they were beginning to miss taking care of the children. He would sometimes bump into North, share light conversation, then be on his way. North was giving him some room, which Jack felt was very relaxing.

None of them spoke about Jack being blind. Not because they wanted to avoid upsetting Jack, but because they knew that was how Jack would be from then on and everyone accepted it. Even though they were powerful, they couldn't bring the dead back to life or in this case, Jack's eyesight. Besides, Jack was handling the loss of his sight rather well. He found himself getting stronger with each day that included his senses. Particularly, his hearing. Now, he wasn't some kind of 'hear a pin drop a mile away' guy, but he could hear where people were standing and a general idea of what the things he hears are. For example, he knew the difference between a door opening and a drawer, or the different footsteps of everyone.

Jack could also tell that the nightmare sand inside of him was beginning to make an appearance. It was only small things, like nightmare sand forming in his hand and he founds, but sometimes he found himself slipping into the shadows. It seemed as though he melded with them. Jack was brought out of his thoughts by a knock on his door. 

"Jack?" To his delight, Bunny popped his head through the doorway. Jack could smell the chocolate and flowers coming from his fellow guardian. Jack smiled and Bunny sat down on the end of his bed.

"How ya doing, Frostbite?"

"My body's achy, but other than that, I'm fine."

"Have you eaten yet?" 

Jack nodded, "Yeah, I ate some tomato soup earlier." It was Bunny's turn to smile. It had seemed to him that their lives were taking every wrong turn for a while, but things were finally looking up.

"Bunny?... I'm worried." 

"About?"

"These nightmares... my new powers... they're growing quickly, and I don't know how to stop or control them. I'm worried that if we don't figure something out soon then things are going to end badly, for everyone." Bunny remained silent. Jack began to worry. Bunny must agree with him, but then what should they do? If he couldn't control these powers, then it was entirely possible for one of the other guardians of himself would get hurt. Perhaps it would be best if he left the guardians and went somewhere far away, like Antarctica. He heard it was cold this time of year... well... all year really. Jack felt Bunny shift and before he knew it, he felt a pair of lips on top of his own.

"Don't worry, Frostbite. We'll figure something out. Bunny looked into Jack's eyes, even though he knew Jack couldn't see back. We'll be fine. I'll talk to the other guardians about it. Just don't... don't do anything rash, okay? The last thing we -the last thing _I_ \- want it for you to get hurt. Bunny wrapped his arms around the small boy. Jack couldn't help but relax into his beloved's arms. He nodded into Bunny's shoulder, silently promising that he wouldn't go to Antarctica.

"I've got to go back to the Warren since Easter's coming up soon. I'll talk to North and we'll think of something. See you later, Snowflake." Bunny ruffled Jack's hair and left the room. Jack was alone again.

___

"Jack?" Tooth questioned. The door to his room opened, revealing Tooth, Bunny, Sandy, and North. They entered the room, shifting towards Jack, who was sitting in an armchair next to the window.

Jack smiled, "What's up?"

Tooth grimaced, "can we talk?" Jack nodded. They found seats around their friend.

"I -we- know how... dark things have been lately, especially for you. You've been held and cooped up, we think for far too long. We've been doing a lot of talking, and most of it's been without you. That's not right, you're a guardian, just like us, and should be included like one. We're sorry." Tooth explained. Jack wasn't sure what to say. To be honest, he was glad to leave the talking to the others. After going through and loosing so much, he didn't want to go back and talk about it.

"Listen guys, it's okay. We've all been through a lot. We should just try to move one, right?" Everyone nodded.

"Jack, my boy, " North began, "Bunny tells us that you're worried about the nightmare sand. Unfortunately none of us have any knowledge about the sand other than Sandy, but even then, it's very limited. Also, we need to see how the marking are progressing." Jack nodded. He slipped off the loose sweater he was currently wearing while his hoodie was being cleans and patched up. The guardians were silent as they took in his appearance.

The swirls of black frost that pattered the skin of his arms had moved, now stopping at his forearms,. The others explained this to Jack because he couldn't not see them for himself. They also told him that his eyes had taken a darker shade of blue. Jack put the sweater back on.

Jack broke the silence, "So... there's no one who can help me with... this?"

"Well, the only one who really knows anything about it is Pitch... and there is absolutely no way he would be willing to teach you anything." North answered.

"...maybe he would... I mean, think about it." Jack hopped out of the chair. "The whole reason Pitch attacked me -other than revenge- was to turn me into a nightmare prince. How is he supposed to do that if I can't control my new powers? We-"

"Jack, no!" Bunny interrupted him before he could go any further. "After everything that's happened, there is no way we are giving you back to Pitch, especially since your ice powers aren't working either."

"Bunny, I know you're worried. All of you are. If I ever want to be able to get better and move past this, then I need to be able to control the Nightmare sand." Everyone was silent once more.

"How do you suppose we get Pitch to willing teach you and keep you out of harms way?" Tooth asked. Jack smiled while the others were dumbfounded. Toothianna, the mother hen of the guardians, wanted to let their youngest member go with their greatest enemy.

"It's simple, really. I'll go to Pitch's lair and pretend that when I told you guys that I had nightmare sand inside of me, that you all shut me out. I'll tell him that he was right all along and that I want to join his side. He'll be so proud of himself the he wouldn't even question it. Now, as far as keeping me out of harm's way, I have an idea. Pitch's nightmare aren't really as faithful as they seem. In fact, one has taken a particular liking to me. I'm positive they'd protect me if anything got serious. Also she'd most likely relay messages between us so that we can communicate without arousing suspicion."

Everyone was skeptical to say the least. They continued to discuss the kinks that were left in their plan. Eventually, they decided to put their plan into action.

Bunny handed his newly mended hoodie to Jack and watched as he slipped it on. "Are you sure that you want to do this? We can always think of something else, find another way."

Jack shook his head, "I want -no, need- to do this."

The first step of their plan was to get Pitch to take Jack in. They dropped Jack off at France's borders so they wouldn't alert the boogie man. The guardians bid each other farewell and Jack began his trek to the catacombs. Since he hadn't fixed his staff yet, he couldn't fly to his destination. Jack found himself taking frequent breaks, not that he minded, he didn't have a schedule to keep.

Despite not being able to see, Jack felt he was doing a good job navigating himself. Although, he did have a lot of help. Sandy had given him a dream the night before where he ran throughout the streets of France with  children and the now the winter spirit felt that he knew the country like the back of his hand.

There were many different entrances to the catacombs, but Jack wanted to use the one that he was most familiar with, which just so happened to be in the heart of Paris. He caught rides on the roofs of cars to shorten his trip. He managed to reach his goal by late evening. Considering he began in the morning. Jack slipped into the entrance and descended into Pitch's lair.

It was cool yet slightly humid, something that Jack had gotten used to during his... 'stay'. It was musty and smelt a little like mold, but that was nothing new. He wasn't surprised when he was sudden'y swarmed by nightmares. They kept their distance, but were close enough to attack if he were to try anything. The bunch parted slightly and the nightmare that had helped him earlier walked forward. She sniffed cautiously, but once she realized who he was, she nuzzled him. Jack smiled and laughed lightly as he returned the affection.

"Hey girl. I need to talk to Pitch, could you lead me to him?"

___

Pitch Black's life had been hectic for the past few weeks. Ever since that blasted Rabbit had taken Jack he was at a loss for what to do. Jack wasn't ready to become a nightmare prince and these guardians wouldn't let the boy out of their sights anything after the things that he'd done. He didn't blame them. He paced back and forth across his bedroom floor. His thoughts were interrupted by the approach of a nightmare.

To say he was surprised would be an understatement.

"What brings you here, Jack?" Pitch noticed that the boy was nervous, standing behind the mare and fidgeting with the hem of his hoodie. Pitch was pleased to see the darker color of Jack's beautiful eyes, which meant that his sand was doing it's job.

"Y........re.....r.....t." Jack mumbled.

Pitch  disappeared and reappeared behind the guardian. "What was that?" Jack humped and turned to face him.

"....I said you were right! I told the guardians that I had nightmare sand inside of me and... and..." Tears glistened in Jack's eyes as his voiced hitched, "they threw me out. They called me a traitor and said that they were disgusted by me." Pitch arched an eyebrow.

Was he telling the truth? Surely, the guardians wouldn't really reject him... but he DID have nightmare sand coursing through him and it wasn't like he would come back unless he had a very good reason. Pitch leered at the boy.

"Oh Jack, my dear, that's what I'be been trying to tell you all along. They never really cared about you or they wouldn't have ignored you for 300 years, nor would they turn you away in your hour of need. I on the other hand, do care about you. Think about all we could achieve, how we could crush the guardians once I have you by my side. There's nothing we couldn't do. Join me, Jack, and we'll give the guardians what they deserve." Pitch held out his hand. Jack hesitantly took it.

Now for step two.


	12. Chapter 12

"Very good Jack... Again." Jack did as he was told. He waved his hand to the side, causing a shot of nightmare sand to hit the target across the room.

"Well done. You're progressing faster than I thought you would, but I'm no surprised." Pitch laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. Jack silently grimaced, but didn't push the older spirit away. He had to play the part. Make him believe.

Jack smirked, "Hmph, shouldn't underestimate me, King." It had been exactly three weeks since Jack had arrived. Three weeks of having to cope with his tormentor, his unwanted touches and compliments.

Pitch's own smile soon followed, "Yes, I sympathize with anyone who would do so." Despite not wanting to spend a minute more than necessary with the man, Jack had to admit Pitch was a good teacher. Jack could connect with the nightmares, attack with sand,... Jack could _see_. Metaphorically speaking.

_"Darkness is so enthralling, isn't it, Jack?" Pitch placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, startling him._

_"It has its advantages." Jack replied. Pitch jumped to face him and smiled._

_"Yes, so many, wonderful uses that most don't even realize! Tell me Jack... would you like to see again?"_

_"What?"_

_"Darkness is everywhere. There is no way to escape it. Even when there's light, there's always shadows that chase it. And I--we--feel those shadows, we are a part of those shadows. Every nook--every cranny--where they reside, so do we. Do you understand, Jack?"_

Jack laid on top of the bed that was in his 'room.' Although the room itself was large, it was sparse and was missing the usual furniture. Jack could tell you what was in it, but he couldn't tell you the color. Jack's 'vision' was only in black and white; darkness and light. Jack could process where shadows were, similar to how eyes normally could process where light was. It was strange, in a way, and it took some getting use to, but it was definitely better than nothing--he would know.

The sound of Pitch's voice filled the catacombs. "Jack? It's time for dinner. Come eat with me." The winter spirit sighed, but got off his bed anyway. He maneuvered through the hallways with ease. Jack pushed the door to the dining room open. Pitch was sitting at the head of a long black table. Jack sat down at Pitch's right, knowing what would happen if he sat anywhere else.

"Ah, Jack. Glad you could join me."

"Anything for you, Pitch." Silence ensued.

"...So, my little nightmare prince," Pitch stroked a piece of Jacks hair, "let's talk about your training." 

Jack repressed a shudder. "What about it?"

"Well, you have some sight, can fight a little, and have a connection with the mares... I think that it's time to take it up a notch."

"What do you mean?" 

Pitch moved his hands to cover Jacks, "After dinner, I want you to give a child a nightmare."

"What?"

"You heard me. Finish eating and get ready." Pitch stood up and left the room, leaving Jack in silence. It was deafening.

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

"Go ahead, Jack." Pitch nudged said spirit towards the bed of a young boy.

Jack hesitated, "I don't know what to do."

"It's simple. What do we control?"

"Fear."

"Exactly. Imagine it, fear gripping and clawing at your very soul. Grab that feeling, and send it into his dreams." Jack nodded. He stood next to the bed  and watched the golden sand swarm above the boy's head. 

The scene was of him playing baseball. He was about to make the last shot of the game. Jack thought of all the turmoil he's endured, all of the pain and fear. The image that came to mind was cracked ice. His sister facing death, when it was in fact him who fell through the ice. Jack kept this in mind and touched the dream sand. He watched in fascination as the golden grains slowly began to change to black. The scene continued, but instead of making the shot, the boy missed, causing his team to lose the game. His team members shunned him and left the boy all alone. Jack felt tears well up in his eyes. How could he do that to a child?

"Hush, Love." Pitch placed his hands on his shoulders. "Don't be upset, This is a necessary duty that must fall on our shoulders. It is not all bad. Because of this, the child will push himself to achieve more, and strive for perfection in order to keep this from happening in real life. At least try to look at it positively. Let's go home." Jack followed silently as they traveled back to the catacombs. Pitch went off to his chambers, but not before placing a kiss on Jack's cheek and biding him goodnight. They young spirit glided to his own and sat down on his bed. He numbly stared at the wall, the events from earlier clouding his thoughts.

He was brought out of them by a nudging of his shoulder. He didn't have to 'look' to know that it was his favorite nightmare. Jack took to calling her midnight. As cliche as it sounded, because she was made from nightmares, he only saw a black silhouette when he looked at her.

"Hey girl." She nuzzled his face, trying to cheer up her second master. She was rewarded with a small smile.

"Oh, I just don't know if I'm cut out for this. I miss the days when I could just give children snow days and a white Christmas without having to look over my shoulder. Why does nothing ever going right for me? Oh well, at least I can leave here soon, now that I know know how to create nightmares," Jack grabbed a pen and paper. "I'm going to write to the guardians and tell them just that . Think you could deliver it for me?" The mare nodded, to King the parchment and disappeared into the shadows.

The next few days consisted much of the same thing. He got up, he ate, and then he practiced with targets. Jack would spend time with the nightmares, something that Pitch stressed the importance of. Since Jack would soon be able to command them, they had to have faith in his abilities to lead them. The boogie man would appear in and out every day, making sure to touch him whenever he could. To Jack's surprise and dismay, Pitch was not as bothersome as he thought. Even though he was a big cuddler, he never went any further than that. There were a lot of pet names, but he could deal with that. The looks though, they were what bothered him.

Jack could practically feel the want swirling around in Pitch's eyes. The young spirit was worried that one day Pitch would snap, but in those moments of doubt, he would remember that he was leaving soon. He would also remember _who_ he was going to home to. Jack smiled while eating his lunch. As if on cue to ruin his mood, Pitch walked in the dining room to eat lunch himself.

"Hello, Jack. How was your morning?"

"It was okay. The usual, I suppose."

Pitch paused for a moment in thought before replying, " I see. I'd like to show you something after lunch, then." Jack nodded, as if he had any other choice. Play the part; make him believe. They quickly finished eating and moved to a large room Jack had never been in before. Pitch snapped and the room was enveloped in light. Jack closed his eyes, though it did him no good. Eventually he got used to the white, and looked around. The saw the usual silhouette of Pitch, and two other shadows at opposite ends of the room.

"What's going on?"

Pitch ignored his question. "You only see in black and white, correct?" Jack nodded. "Excellent. Today we're going to talk about Shadow manipulation."

"What do you mean?"

"Jack, I've been teaching you how to use nightmare sand, but, like you control snow, we control shadows. People think that shadows are where the light does not reach, but that is not true. Shadows are where the light would dare not go. Controlling shadows are similar to controlling nightmare sand, but since darkness is not our own creation, you must unite yourself with it. Think of it like this; you are trying to buy it for a service like you would a plumber, and you have to convince it to work for you. You need to show the darkness why it needs to listen to you. Once you have that initial connection, you'll have it as long as you need. Unless, of course, something changes. We'll cross that bridge if we come to it."

"How do I... talk to it?"

"Whenever you are in physical contact with a shadow, which is almost always, you are already linked mentally with it. Some are more in tune with it than others, but there is a connection. You need to step into the shadow and think about what you want. What you need." The young spirit nodded. Slowly, Jack made his way to one of the black masses in his field of vision. He could feel Pitch's eyes on him the entire time. Jack stuck his arm into the shadow. Now that he was paying attention, he noticed a darkening in his mind. Not literally, but his thoughts and memories seemed a little less cheerful.

Unsure of what exactly to do, he tried to focus on the darkness and grab a hold of it. The first few tries resulted in it slipping through his fingers. On the fourth try, his hands gripped it and pulled. The darkness enveloped him as if it was searching for something. Thoughts of his plan rose to mind; plan to betray Pitch, to return to guardians, to stay with Bunny. Jack was sure that once the darkness saw it, it would reject him in favor of Pitch, but to his surprise, it stayed. The guardian felt it wrap around him, and he let it. Once it was finished, Jack stepped back, but he could still feel the connection deep in his bones.

"Well, my prince? Did it work?"

Jack nodded, "Yeah, I think so."

"Wonderful. Now that you've made the connection, you need to harness it. One of the ways you'll use it most is for travel." Pitch stepped into the shadow next to Jack, then reappeared out of the one across the room. "Like the roots of trees, shadows are connected everywhere, in every way. In order to move between them, you'll need to learn how to find the links and connections and move through them." Jack nodded in understanding.

The young spirit stepped back into the shadows before him. Once more, the darkness enveloped him, but this time, it held a feeling of serenity unlike before. Instead of darkening happy moments, it made him feel calm and at peace. He moved throughout the sea of black, the darkness reminding him that he would never be able to see properly. A signal of light in front of Jack called out to the boy.  He walked towards it and found himself across the room. No time had passed in the light, but he had least been in the shadow for a few minutes.

Pitch seemed to read his mind. "Light is not the only thing afraid of the dark. Time also, wished to remain out of it's grasp."

"So that's why no time passed while I was in there."

"Yes. There are other ways to use shadows, but those you must learn for yourself. There are things that I can not just teach you. With that being said,  I think that was the last of what I had to teach you. The only left if to train and hone your skills on your own, although I will be there to guide you in the right direction."

Jack nodded. they went to practice more, well, Jack did anyway. They ate dinner afterwards. Pitch insisted that Jack travel through the shadows and give children nightmares on his own, for extra practice. Reluctantly, he did as he was told. Jack would have to get use to it anyway. Once they took care of Pitch, the duty would fall to him permanently. The winter spirit went from house to house, giving the kids bad dreams. To his relief, most of them were simply about bad grades or lost pets.

He returned to the catacombs exhausted from using so much energy. Jack flopped onto his bed to rest. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow. The next few days were the same as always. Jack was lying in his bed when Midnight appeared. She had a note in her mouth. Jack happily took the note and skimmed over it. It was from Bunny.

 _Frostbite,_  

_That's great news! We're ready for your return whenever you are. When you're ready, come to the warren and we'll talk with the others then._

_E. Aster Bunnymund_

Jack smiled. Technically, Pitch had said that he was finished teaching him. The training he could do on his own. Jack jumped from the beg and hugged the nightmare.

"Thank you, for everything. I'll see you soon." With one last look to Pitch's lair, the guardian jumped into a shadow and left, knowing he wouldn't be coming back.


	13. Chapter 13

Jack snuggled closer to the warmth next to him. He felt a strong arm settle around his midsection, pulling him closer. The winter spirit cracked an eye open, only to be greeted by a mound of fur. 

"Bunny..."

"Hm?"

"I have to go to the bathroom."

"And?"

"And I need you to let go of me." The pooka only tightened his grip in response.

"Seriously."

"Never." Jack managed to push the other off of him. He hastily stood up ad stretched. 

"Are you excited about tonight, Frostbite?"

Jack thought for a moment and responded, "Yeah. I think it'll be a nice change of pace for everyone. A party is just what we need. No more problems--at least for a little while." Jack had surprised himself by how close Bunny and him had gotten. They told each other everything. It was nice... it was comforting.

"It's in a couple of hours, so we should probably go ahead and get ready." That's what they did. The first part was just washing up while the second was making sure the warren would be safe while they were gone. They took a joined bath in one of the warren's lakes, then Bunny checked all of the warren's entrances while Jack got dressed. Once they were ready, they moved through the tunnel that lead to the North Pole.

Jack couldn't help but smile. He had truly missed this place. He missed the smell of gingerbread and the sound of jingle bells in the air. He saw the outline of Tooth flying around with Sandy while North was yelling at one of the yeti to change the color of a bouncy ball. The three of them of them stopped what they were doing and joined them once they noticed Jack and Bunny. Everyone took their time embracing each other. Out of instinct, Tooth looked at Jack's teeth to make sure he was taking care of them. When she realized what she was doing, she removed her hand and apologized. 

Jack grabbed her hand. "Tooth, you don't have to apologize. It's alright. In fact, I'm glad. You haven't done that in so long, I'm glad that things are finally starting to return to normal."

Tooth smiled. "Of course, Jack. You're right. C'mon, isn't this supposed to be a party?"

And party they did.

They ate and danced and played games. Jack never stopped smiling because he was spending time with the ones he loved. It had only been a few days since he left Pitch, but so much had happened since then. The guardians were astonished when Jack told them that he had regained some of his sight. He had gone over his training with Pitch and his new abilities, which had taken a long time. Jack had been apprehensive about how the others--especially Bunny--would react when he told them that he had given a child a nightmare.

To his surprise, everyone was extremely supportive, especially North. He explained that every parent had to scold their child at some point. Jack giving a child a nightmare was no different then Santa Claus giving coal to a child on the naughty list. There was nothing to be ashamed of.  To say that Jack was relieved would be an understatement.

Jack also learned that he could somewhat communicate with Sandy. He could sense dream sand, even though he couldn't control it, and could therefore sense Sandman's thoughts. Sandy was made of the stuff after all, and Jack had nightmare sand inside of him as well. A sort of telekinesis, if you would. They would often have silent conversations, and Jack had come to enjoy them. Yes, everything was starting to fall back into place. Well, except for a few things.

Like Pitch Black, but they would deal with him as well. After the party had ended, Jack and Bunny decided to spend the night at the Pole, as did everyone else. North was happy to have the extra company. In the morning, after a delightful breakfast, they had a conversation about said man.

"I don't see why we haven't blown him off the face of the earth yet." Bunny exclaimed.

North replied, "We couldn't. Man in Moon said that we needed Pitch."

"We don't anymore! Jack can do everything Pitch can! Well... to an extent." Jack couldn't help agree with Bunny's words.

"That is true. Jack can control nightmares now. Perhaps we should talk to Man in Moon when night falls." Everyone nodded in agreement and left to fill the time.

Of course, Jack and Bunny spent theirs together. At first they just lounged around, but they quickly became bored. Jack had an idea, but Bunny was hesitant to take part in it. Eventually Jack wore his boyfriend down and he relented. The two were crouched behind the doorway of the kitchen. Jack had his eyes on Phil, who was cooking dinner for everyone.

"Frostbite, I don't think this is a good idea--"

"Sh!" Jack interrupted. "Just sit back and watch the master."

The young spirit formed a ball of harmless nightmare sand in his hand since he still hadn't regained his ice powers. The pooka couldn't help but stare. Sure, Jack had explained his new abilities, but he hadn't shown them. Even though Bunny knew that Jack would never hurt anyone, it was hard to shake the feeling that something bad always happens when nightmare sand was involved. Bunny would trust his mate, even if his gut told him not to.

"Okay Frostbite, as long as you're sure." Jack smiled and turned his attention back tot he task at hand. With a deep breath he pulled back his arm, aimed, and fired. Jack hurled the ball at Phil, which hit him in the back of the head. The young spirit grabbed Bunny's arm and pulled him as he ran. In the background, they could hear Phil yelling at them. The two stepped into a side room and couldn't help but start laughing.

By the time they finished, they were out of breath and their ribs hurt. Bunny looked at Jack lovingly. How could ever doubt his fellow guardian? Bunny knew he would never make that mistake again. Eventually the two calmed down.

"See?" Jack asked. "I told you it would be fun. You need to have a little more fun in your life. Honestly, you're such a sour puss. I mean--"

"Alright mate, I get it. No need to carry on." Bunny pouted. Jack smiled. The two looked up when they heard the dinner bells ringing. It seemed that their little escapade didn't have as much of an effect as they thought. Jack and Bunny made their way to the dinning hall to eat.

Sandy and Tooth were already there when the two arrived. They sat down at the large rectangular table across from their friends. Tooth was about to say something when the door burst open and North walked in. He sat down at the head of the table. The five greeted each other as the yeti began to bring out their dinner. The guardians laughed and told stories as they ate, happy just to be in each other's company. Eventually they finished their meal and had to focus on more pertinent matters.

"Jack, my boy. It is night time, yeah? Man in Moon is waiting for us. Shall we go speak with him now?" North asked. Jack gazed at the table in front of him and nodded. He felt Bunny grab his hand and tell him it was going to be okay. North asked him if he wanted to do it alone, or if he wanted to have the other with him for support.

"You guys are my family, there's no way I'd be here without you. Of course I want you with me." Everyone smiled and stood up. The five of them made their way to the room with the opening roof.

"Hey North?"

"Yes Jack?"

"Do you ever forget to close the roof?"

"Me? No. Yeti, all the time! I always see snow all over workshop! There is reason we work inside and not out, yeah?" Everyone laughed at North's outrageousness. They knew that Jack was trying to change the topic. After all, this would be the first time he spoke to Manny himself, and the two hadn't exactly hit it off over the past few centuries. Nevertheless, Jack was trying, and that was all that mattered.

They arrived at their destination and walked inside the large room. The room was completely shrouded in darkness, and Jack feared that he had lost his sight again. He felt Tooth put her hand on his should and heard the hum of her wings. The winter spirit instantly relaxed, glad that his mother figure was close by. Creaking echoed throughout the room as North opened the roof. The room was enveloped with moonlight from the full moon, and Jack found it enthralling.

Jack felt his stomach twist into knots as he made his way across the room. Would the Man in the Moon even want to talk to him? After all, he did almost abandon him for 300 years. On the other hand, he did make him a guardian and he never would've met Jamie otherwise. Of course, he probably wouldn't have met Pitch either. Maybe the whole thing had just been Manny's plan from the start to ruin his after life. Jack wouldn't put the man. What would he even say? 'Hey MiM, I know we haven't talked in three centuries, but I have a favor to ask?' Jack was pulled out of his thoughts when he reached the podium like structure bathed in direct moonlight.

"It's alright, Jack. Take your time." North calmed. That was a lot easier said than done.

The youngest guardian took a deep breath and looked at the night sky. "Hey, Manny."

 _Ah... Jackson. My how you have grown. We have not spoken in a long time, what is it that I can do for you?_ It took a moment for Jack to respond. He hadn't actually expected him to answer.

"Oh, wow. You actually answered me. I never thought you would..."

_Jackson, I never abandon my children. It may not be obvious, but I am always with you; guiding you to your destiny. I assume that's why you're here._

"Uh, yeah, actually. The guardians and I have been talking, and we've decided that Pitch has to go."

_Young guardian, it is not that simple. The world needs Pitchiner's abilities to function. You can not simply get rid of Darkness, otherwise I wouldn't have created it in the first place._

"But Manny, I have Pitch's powers too! I can control nightmares!" 

_As I am aware, but are you willing to take on the role of Boogieman as a guardian?_

"Yes, of course! Controlling someone's fear doesn't make me evil, it's how I choose to use it."

 _That's what I wanted to hear_.

A blinding white light enveloped the room, causing everyone to close their eyes. When everyone opened their eyes, they were surprised to find that Jack's appearance had changed. His dark blue hoodie turned into a light blue cloak that revealed skinny black pants and a form fitting blue shirt with long white sleeves. The black marks across his skin and hair and turned to a dull grey that shimmered in the moonlight. Not only did Jack's appearance change, but he also felt lighter. The pain and worry he had carried over the last few months seemed to have vanished.

"I don't understand--"

_Jackson, you've gone through and overcome so much, it's changed you in ways that you will never be able to change. You have a whole new side to yourself, and as such, you're a whole new guardian. By pledging your commitment to this world, you've embraced your destiny. With your new abilities you'll show children what needs to be done, but your ice powers will show them joy and fun. After all, what goes better than cold and dark?_

_You're no longer the guardian of fun, that chapter of your after life has long since passed. No Jackson, now you are the Guardian of Reason!_

"But what about Pitch? And my staff is still broken. I've tried, but I can't fix it..."

_Do not fret about Pitchiner, my child. I will deal with him as I should have a long time ago. As for your staff, it is waiting for you, fixed and ready for its master. You couldn't fix your ice powers because you didn't have control over your nightmare powers. Go, Jackson Overland Frost, and never stop walking._

Jack rushed out of the room and ran down the corridors until he reached the room where he recovered from Pitch's attacks. True to the man's word, Jack's staff leaned against the window in one piece.  Jack grabbed the staff and felt a rush of cold run through him as the window blew open from the wind. Patterns of frost and nightmare sand bloomed across the wood and Jack couldn't help but smile. The young guardian felt the tears well up in his eyes as Bunny walked into the room. Jack quickly wiped them away then looked at his mate.

And in that moment, Jack knew that he was going to be okay.

_**The End** _


End file.
